Critterish Corner: Family days
Easter – when you pass a farm selling chickens and they are going cheep! Easter is a great time to share, and I have just returned from a Family Day at HMP Dovegate, for one of their Therapeutic Commun-ities where the residents got to spend a day with family and/or friends. I know not all prisons have Therapeutic Communities, but all prisons will have a Family Day.
From a personal point of view, I really enjoy Family Days – the noise of kids having fun, the laughter and smiles, games, toys, family members, and friends interacting with each other. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s a joy to behold. It’s also great to be able to contribute to the atmosphere and overall enjoyment of those taking part, by dropping in with my animals – we all know that animals bring smiles. And there is nothing better than to see families smiling together and enjoying each other’s company.
Today’s visit, for Easter, had the families meeting Salt (rabbit – the Easter Bunny), Oreo (Skinny Pig), Bullie (snake), Hercules (Bearded Dragon), George (tortoise), Wubble (frog) and Jet (tarantula). I would say that the two most popular were the tarantula and the snake, and then there were those who loved Salt’s soft fur and cuddly nature. Each family got to spend 15-20 minutes with the animals, as a family group, on their own, and they could meet just one or two or take in all seven of them. In addition one of the guys helping with the visit was taking photos of family members with the animals, photos which can then be sent back to the families or pinned up in a pad, making a nice family photo and memory.
The animals (such as the rabbit and skinny pig) are okay with loud areas and being handled in this way, as they are desensitised to it all during their training to become therapy animals. They are then exposed to noise as they continue to grow – not uncomfortable noise or loud noise, but constant noise, usually from a radio talk station, where there is little music, but lots of different voices varying in pitch and volume. This allows the animals to become used to being around noise and therefore cope with environments such as those with loud children or noise.
I am not sure if you have had a Family Day or even a visit over the Easter break, but if you have, then I hope you and your families enjoyed it and had a good Easter. If you don’t have Family Days where you are, then maybe show a member of staff this article and ask that they consider it, because from what I have seen at all of the prisons where I have visited on Family Days, they have an amazing effect on morale.
With critter love, Dale
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