Opening Hours

Animal Viewing Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10am - 3pm

General Hours: 
Most Days: 9am - 5pm
Wednesdays:  10am - 5pm
CLOSED: Sundays and Public Holidays

Kids N' Kritters

Kids N' Kritters Workshops
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To secure your place in our one of our Kids N’ Kritters workshops,  make a booking online by clicking here.

Important Information

Please note that while we make every attempt to follow planned programs, there may be some days where children are unable to pat or hold animals. This is due to the nature of our shelter; many of our animals are very timid and are not ready to be handled by a group. Decisions around animal interaction are always made with the welfare of the animal as paramount. All sessions may include visits to other animals around the shelter – please let us know if there are any animals that your child is fearful of or inexperienced with.

We endeavour to keep as close to our curriculum as possible, however in the event of bad weather or not having animals suitable for the session we will alter the curriculum slightly and/or utilise staff animals. The session will still be interactive and lots of fun!

Location: 12 Kirkpatrick Street, Weston ACT 2611.

Allergy Information: Please note that while we don’t allow children to bring nuts or nut products into a Kids N' Kritters program, RSPCA ACT is not a nut free environment. Our dogs are sometimes given peanut butter as a treat, and this is stored in our kennels. Please advise staff if your child has a nut allergy.

If your child is at all unwell on the day of their session, please do not attend the shelter. We have adjusted our cancellation policy to allow for absences.

 

Download our FREE Kids Activity Book this school holidays.

Session Information

POCKET PETS
Learn about the big responsibility of owning a small animal - this may include rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, ferrets, rats or turtles. Learn about the special care that these animals need and their individual behaviours. We will also get to complete some care tasks for our animals, which may include making enrichment, preparing food or replacing bedding. We will also take a guided tour through the shelter and subject to animals in our care that day, a meet and greet.

 

ENRICHMENT FOR SHELTER ANIMALS
Enrichment is anything that makes an animal’s environment more interesting and engaging - this can include sights, smells, toys, and even interaction with people. In this session you will learn all about enrichment for pets and have the chance to make a few animal enrichment items of your own. We will also take a guided tour through the shelter and subject to animals in our care that day, a meet and greet.

 

PAWSITIVE DOG TRAINING
Here at RSPCA ACT, we always use positive, force free training methods with our dogs, and we love to teach others about them as well! Positive Training means that we reward our dogs for doing the right thing - rather than punishing them for getting it wrong. In this session you will learn the positive training basics, have a look at special training equipment including clickers and of course, have a chance to visit our dogs!

 

PET FIRST AID
Our friends at St John Ambulance ACT will be teaching us how to help our fur babies if things go wrong. You will also learn a little about how to keep yourself safe while tending to unwell animals, and how to know when cases will need to be handled by an adult or a vet. You will also get the chance to practice your new skills on our large plush animals and enjoy a short tour of our shelter to visit some real animals.

 

FAMILY FUN DAY
On this day we encourage our parents, guardians, carers, siblings etc. to join us for a round robin group of activities running at the same time around the shelter. Guided by staff and volunteers, you will have an opportunity to visit the PAC centrePet Adoption Centre and learn how to microchip + scan your furry friends, create some enrichment for our dogs in the kennels, learn how to speak cat in the Cattery, learn how to identify snake’s vs lizards and more!


LEARN TO SPEAK DOG
Come and meet our dogs! During this session, you will have the opportunity to socialise with RSPCA ACT’s dogs and puppies. You will learn how to greet and interact with dogs of all shapes and sizes in a safe and positive way and recognise when they would like some alone time – our dogs really puppreciate this!

 

LEARN TO SPEAK CAT (2x)
Participants will visit our cattery and learn how to make friends with cats in a safe and respectful way. We will look at the ways that cats talk to us without using words, so you will be able to know when they are okay being patted, or when they would prefer some alone time. You will also have the opportunity to create enrichment items for the cats and ask our staff any questions you may have about our purrfect friends.

 

RSPCA CAREERS
In this session, you will learn about different roles at the RSPCA ACT, and gain experience in our day-to- day animal care tasks. You will visit all our animals, and be involved in their care by cleaning, feeding, and providing enrichment.

 

About Our Workshops

Class descriptions, timetables and bookings will be released approximately one month before the commencement of each ACT Public School Holiday period.

Workshops are quite popular and often book out quickly. If you would like to be notified as soon as bookings become available, please email us at education@rspca-act.org.au

Or, become a Junior SupPawter and enjoy early access to all workshop bookings (along with many other goodies!). Junior SupPawter applications can be found here.

Workshops include a shelter tour along with lots of information and hands on activities. Topics vary each school holidays.

We also invite other local animal loving organisations in to present workshops from time to time; this helps children to understand the bigger picture of animal care and protection within the community. These sessions also provide an opportunity to learn about more specialized animals or areas, including reptile husbandry and basic pet first aid.

Generally, a Kids n Kritters Workshop runs for two hours, and includes:

An interactive information session Based on the chosen topic, with opportunities to ask lots of questions.
A shelter tour Depending on what animals we have, we may see kittens, dogs, turtles, rats, guinea pigs or occasionally even a pig or goat!
Hands on activities based on the session topic This can include preparing lunch for dogs, socialising with kittens, creating enrichment items for rabbits, tunnels for rats or more!
A chance to revisit any animals of interest We can show them their new toys or treats, or just spend time giving them that little bit of extra love.

Kids n Kritters Workshops are suitable for animal enthusiasts aged 7 -13. We are always keen to hear any topic suggestions as well, so if there is an area that your child is particularly interested in, please let us know!

What to Bring on the Day:

  • All participants should bring their own labelled drink bottle
  • All participants must wear appropriate clothing, including long pants, enclosed footwear, a hat and sunscreen
  • Participants staying for multiple sessions should bring a snack and lunch (nut and egg free please). RSPCA ACT does not provide food as part of our Kids n Kritters program, but we do have facilities to refill drink bottles.

Please endeavour to arrive as close to the session start time as possible and wait outside the reception area with your child. 

Our session educator and volunteers all hold Working with Vulnerable People cards and have met RSPCA ACT's requirements to attend Kids N' Kritters. For this reason parents are welcome to wait in our waiting area for the duration of the session, however are unable to attend the session with their child. Under special circumstances, you may receive permission to attend, however you are required to hold a WWVP card and pay the participant fee in full.