Shelter Scouts

All About Dogs 

Learn how to safely interact with dogs, understand their body language, identify different breeds, explore playtime and enrichment activities, and more! 

All About Cats 

Explore cat body language, learn how to safely meet a new cat, identify different breeds, create enrichment games, and learn how to care for community cats. 

Grossology 

This module is for those who like the weird, icky, sticky, gooey parts of animals. Participants will explore the gross side of the animal world and what we can learn from it! 

Local Wildlife and Ecology

Learn about the local ecosystems and the impacts (positive and negative) humans can have. The focus of this session will be on sustainability and ways humans can do our part to keep our environment healthy.  

Arts and Crafts

This module is for animal lovers who also love arts and crafts! Channel your creativity into animal-themed crafts to take home and help lower shelter animal stress by making beneficial enrichment items and adoption ads. 

Reptile Roundup

While cats and dogs are great, there are other fascinating creatures out there! Participants will learn what sets reptiles apart from our furry friends, create some amphibian artwork, and interact with a scaly sidekick.  

Animal Superpowers

Animals are great at adapting to survive in different climates, family groups, places, and more! Learn about the superpowers animals have that help them survive and thrive!  

Careers with Animals

Is your child interested in working with animals when they get older? This session explores different animal career opportunities, from veterinarians and beyond! 

Jr. Vets

So many young people express wanting to become a veterinarian when they get older. Here’s their chance to learn more about this noble profession and try some hands-on activities to bolster their skills! 

STEM at the Shelter

Calling all animal-loving scientists and engineers! This session will intentionally incorporate STEM strategies to benefit Calico Crew members’ sense of wonder and to help shelter animals on their journeys to adoption.  

Animal Assistants

This module is all about animals with jobs! There are many ways animals help humans in their day-to-day life as well as during big events. Learn about some of the ways we rely on animals to improve our lives.

3-week session activities may include:  

• Preparing treats and enrichment items for animals 

• Creating adoption posters 

• Assisting with shelter tasks  

• Preparing for upcoming events or programs 

• Crafting toys and enrichment for animals in care 

• Participating in supervised animal socialization 

Please note: All activities are centered around helping the shelter and the animals in our care. Participants will spend their time between activities and at least one animal socialization opportunity per day. Tasks may vary depending on the needs of shelter staff and animals. 

For cancellations made 7 days or more prior to the program’s start date, we can provide you with refund minus a $25 administrative fee to your credit card or check.For any COVID related cancellations– due either to potential or confirmed symptoms or exposure isolation– we can provided you with full credit to your East Bay SPCA registration account balance, which can be used at a later date to either reschedule the same program or to sign up for future education programs such as our Animal Camps.

Please note, we cannot accommodate any makeup sessions. Transferring sessions due to illness cancellations is subject to availability.