Pawsitively Generous Students Help Dog Owners at Christmas
A group of animal loving students at Ayrshire College designed a class project to give struggling pet owners an opportunity to treat their furry friends this Christmas.
Carla Downie, Jenna Ferguson and Caycee Eaglesham, who are all studying Health and Social Care at the College’s Ayr Campus, were tasked with developing a project that would help others as part of a new Meta-Skills class developed by lecturer Mark Baillie. They decided to source and donate pet boxes to those in need. They also got the whole class involved with wrapping the boxes, which helped bring some festive spirit to the class.
Student Carla Downie, 18, explained:
“Some animals aren't as fortunate as others and some owners can't afford to buy things for their pets in the way they would like to. We decided to create animal boxes and fill them with things like dog and cat food, snacks and toys to give them the extra things that all animals deserve. We've all got pets, so this meant a lot to us.”
The students created the Christmas treat boxes after speaking with local organisations to get donations, including a generous contribution from Home Bargains in Ayr. They worked alongside Scottish SPCA’s Pet Aid service to donate the boxes to those in need locally.
Darlene Hogg, Head of Learning & Skills for Health and Social Care, said:
“Ayrshire College is committed to empowering students to perform at their peak in life, learning and work. Meta-skills are timeless, higher-order skills that create adaptive learners able to thrive in this ever-changing world. In driving this project forward not only have our students provided valuable support to the local community but they’ve also demonstrated a great use of initiative while developing key employability skills like communication, collaboration and creativity.”
Pet Aid covers more than 70 food banks across Scotland in 18 local authorities. It supplies food and other items to struggling pet owners thanks to donations from generous members of the public. There are Pet Aid donation banks across Ayrshire, including Morrison’s in Troon, Asda and Pets at Home in Kilmarnock and Sainsbury’s in Prestwick.
Jade Ramsay-Kerr, Community Engagement Manager at Scottish SPCA, passed on her thanks to the students:
“So many people are struggling to care for their animals due to financial pressures. This donation will go a long way to helping make sure animals and people don’t suffer. We know times are tough at the moment and we are so grateful for any donations to help pets and people who need it most.
“We have lots of donation points across Scotland where people can drop off anything they’d like to donate. Alternatively, they can hand items in to reception at any of our animal rescue and rehoming centres.”
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