From The Mouths Of Babes

When you work in animal rescue, you get used to public appearances. You create your presentations in long and short versions, for adults and for kids, for solo talks and for crowded adoption open houses. You hone and you hone and you become convinced you're prepared for anything, have covered all the bases.

Then you get in a room with little kids. 

Last Wednesday, I participated in the Hartford Public Library's summer youth series, in a joint appearance with Ann Gruden from the Ferret Association of Connecticut (F.A.C.T.) and Jessica Nunn of Hopalong Hollow rabbit rescue. There were two or three adults, but the room was primarily occupied by kids under 10 and one apparently pre-teen boy. These urban kids, several from immigrant families, had only ever seen dogs and cats up close, so meeting guinea pigs, rabbits and ferrets up close was, for them, a big new thing.

With a guinea pig snoozing in my arms, I talked for about 12 or 13 minutes, then decided to open the floor early to questions. While I'd tried to keep my points simple and at an age-appropriate level, their questions quickly made me realize I should have taken some cues from the late Steve Irwin or my own hero, Jack Hanna.

• What colors do they come in?
• Is their hair always short?
• When their hair is long, can you put bows in their hair?
• Do you think boy guinea pigs would mind pink bows?
• Why are their ears like that?
• What color are their ears? Do they match their fur?
• Why do their noses wiggle?
• What colors are their noses? Are they always pink?
• Where do they go to the bathroom?
• Do they go to the bathroom a lot?
• What would they do if a spider got in their cage?
• In the wild, in the caves they live in, do they see spiders there? What do they do then?

Although I was very briefly thrown by the first spider question, I had a blast answering whatever questions came to their young curious minds. And thanks to them, I've rethought the presentation for the next group of young kids I meet.