PET PALACE
Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) and Protecting Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Kuwait have teamed up to demonstrate that cats and dogs can help children with learning in a fun, new activity.
The first of its kind in the Middle East, the PAWS Kuwait Book Club With A Difference: Children Reading to Rescued Animals, builds on the special God-given relationship between children and animals. Research has shown that children who find reading a challenge have higher success when reading to our furry friends. That’s because animals provide a completely nonjudgmental audience, along with comfort and unconditional love. Of course the rescued dogs and cats also thrive on the children’s attention, so this initiative benefits all participants.
Community feedback from the PAWS Kuwait Book Club has been phenomenal, with parents of children who participated requesting more such sessions. The event at DAI was fully booked with a waiting list, so due to this high demand an additional session was held on Oct 23 and another event on Nov 20 is being offered.
As DAI Director of Education, Susan Day, remarked, “The Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah was excited to work with PAWS on this project. Reading is such an important part of a healthy and happy life. Giving kids the chance to read to cats and dogs helps ensure that they embrace both the skill and joy of reading”.
As mothers and children entered the DAI premises the day of the event there was an air of excitement that increased when the stars of the program, the PAWS animals, arrived. All participating animals are healthy and fully-vaccinated and are available for adoption.
There was the Himalayan kitten, Fifi, who was rescued from terrible conditions at the Friday Market. She has recovered from her ordeal and is a sweet, playful bundle of love. At less than a year old, Dodi is also a playful cat and loves cuddles. She had a hard time living on the street and would love to have a home of her very own.
Loza is a beautiful ginger cat who was surrendered to us when her owner fell ill with cancer and was unable to continue caring for her pet. Sadly, Loza’s owner passed away, and this gentle cat lives in the PAWS Kuwait shelter, waiting for a new family to give her a loving, permanent home.
After meeting Fun the children understood how she got her name. She’s a happy-go-lucky pup but also has a sad history. Children had tied her legs together and dragged her down the street by a rope, resulting in leg fractures. She was rescued by PAWS and thankfully, after medical treatment, she healed beautifully. She’s about a year and a half old.
Molly had such long, dirty, matted fur when rescued in Mishref that you couldn’t even see this little dog’s cute face. She had obviously been living rough a long time, but like all the rescued animals at the reading event, she is still loving and affectionate and will bring lots of joy to any home.
PAWS Kuwait Reading Coordinator Isabel Guerrero welcomed the mothers and children. As Director and Founder of La Hora del Cuento Kuwait, a Spanish-speaking cultural storytelling group, Isabel has a talent for making learning interesting and fun. She also makes every session of the PAWS Kuwait Book Club really special with creative animal-themed arts and crafts projects that she designs herself.
While children were taken to read to the animals one by one, the rest of the group was busy listening to a story that Isabel read aloud about working animals such as police and rescue dogs. After that the children were kept entertained with several arts and crafts projects.
Helping out at the event were a great group of PAWS Kuwait volunteers, including capable youngsters Farah Al Dakheel, nine years old, and Lily Hall, aged eleven, and her sister, Sophie, aged eight. The girls acted as minders for the dogs and cats while other children read to them.
Lily and Sophie are also the founders of Kuwait Katz, an initiative to help Kuwait’s street cats through animal welfare awareness and care and spaying and neutering of stray cats. They are an official sister-organisation of PAWS Kuwait.
Initially, a couple of the children were a bit hesitant to approach the animals. However, with gentle coaching by the minders it didn’t take long until they were at ease with the dogs and cats, reading to them and petting them and being rewarded with contented purring and wagging tails.
As one mother said, “We’re not allowed to keep animals in our apartment so my children can’t have pets, but I want them not to be afraid of them. This event is the perfect opportunity for my children to get used to animals”.
There were also positive comments on Instagram after the event. “It was well-organised. My daughter Noora loved it and we all enjoyed the activity a lot. Thank you for all the effort”.
“It was a great afternoon for the children and fur babies alike”, another participant commented. “Thank you PAWS for your selfless dedication to rescue animals and finding so many ways to serve the community”.
Parents of children aged between four to twelve may register for the November 2nd session that will take place at the DAI Amricani Cultural Centre from 4:30-6:00 pm, by sending an email to education@darmuseum.org.kw. The event is free but participants are requested to donate a bag of dry dog or cat food to help feed some of the many rescued animals at the PAWS Kuwait shelter in Wafra.
For more information please see the following Instagram accounts: @dai_kuwait, @paws_kuwait and @kuwait_katz. For information on how to be a company sponsor of this monthly event please send a what’s app message to 99835252.