DogsPrairie dog. of Prairie. Speaking. junior. p. 3. p. 7. Win an animal rescuer packet! Help animals prepare for winter. language, decoded!

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1 2011 sept oct junior grades 3 4 Win an animal rescuer packet! p. 3 Help animals prepare for winter p. 7 tm Speaking of Prairie DogsPrairie dog language, decoded! a publication of

2 inside this issue! 4 Amazing prairie dogs know a lot of words 6 Kids get down to business helping shelters 8 Hannah the hippo sparkles in her pool 3 humane Hero 7 brainteaser Critter Clues Wild Neighbors 8 kind Quiz mutts by Patrick McDonnell Reprinted by special permission of King Features Syndicate 2010 muttscomics.com Get a free pumpkin face stencil and help animals! Cats are safest indoors, away from traffic, wild animals, poisons, and other dangers. What you might not know is that even if your cat stays indoors, she still needs to wear a collar and ID tag. Why? Because accidents happen! Cats are curious creatures. A door or window accidentally left open might be too much to resist. Once outdoors, kitty may wander too far to find her way home. The Humane Society of the United States and Better Homes and Gardens want to make your Halloween fun and fantastic for animals! Go to bhg.com/pets and download the pumpkin stencil created for The HSUS. For every stencil downloaded, Better Homes and Gardens will donate money to help The HSUS make the world a better place for all animals. Happy HaLLoween bhg.com/pets An ID tag with your name, address, and telephone number will help anyone who finds kitty to return her to you. pet corner Tag... You re It! Missing tags could mean missing pets for tips on getting the right fit and ideas on getting kitty used to wearing a collar, visit: humanesociety.org/kindnews A collar and tags are a lost pet s ticket home. Be sure your pet wears them. Remind friends and neighbors to do the same for their pets. 10/14 cover: kathy milani/the hsus. opposite page, counter-clockwise from top: kenneth c. zirkel/istockphoto; kathy milani/the hsus; erin drallos; raymond eubanks; the hsus. this page, from top: whitney curtis; digital zoo/photodisc/getty images humane Hero Pal pups for Micah Staub is a protector of the animal kingdom It s rare for a 12-year-old to become an honorary member of The HSUS Maddie s Fund Puppy Mill Task Force. But that s what Micah Staub of Paris, Ill., did. Micah has a soft spot in his heart for animals. Throughout his life, Micah has helped his mom and veterinarian dad care for them. He s helped look after family pets and foster animals. He s pitched in for potbellied pigs. He s stepped up for rescued horses. A New Challenge Last December, the Staubs took on a huge task. They agreed to foster 30 dogs rescued by authorities and The HSUS s task force from an Indiana puppy mill. Like most animals kept in these large factorystyle breeding facilities, the dogs had been living in very poor conditions. Dogs in puppy mills receive little or no exercise or veterinary care. They never see a bed, treat, toy, or love from a human being. Many adult puppy mill dogs spend their entire lives in cramped, dirty cages. The females have litter after litter of puppies who are then sold at pet stores, over the Internet, or through classified ads. Walking Tall When the dogs arrived at the Staubs farm, Micah became the official dog walker. He spent his free time each day walking animals whose feet had never before touched grass. Micah is proud of the difference his love and attention have made for the dogs. I just like making them happy and [helping them have] fun, he says. For his commitment and hard work, The HSUS gave Micah a task force T-shirt, backpack, and leashes. In addition, Micah received a letter of recognition naming him as an honorary member of the task force. We bet he received a lot of tail wags and grateful kisses from the pups as well. learn how to help end puppy mills at humanesociety.org/kindnews. Kids Care Contest!!! Win an animal rescuer packet and a chance to appear in Kind News! Like Micah Staub, kids across the country have been doing great things for animals. They re working to end the seal hunt and stop puppy mills. They re asking for donations for animal shelters instead of receiving gifts at their birthday parties! Whatever you ve been doing for animals as a class, with a few friends, or on your own we want to hear about it! Send photos and details to kindnews@ humanesociety.org, or mail them to: Kids Care Contest c/o Kind News The HSUS 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC Chosen throughout the school year, winners will be featured in Kind News, and entries will automatically be entered in our Kind Kid Award contest. For information on how to start a Kind Club, visit humanesociety.org/ kindnews. 2 kind news jr. ed. share a giggle! Send your favorite riddles to kindnews@humanesociety.org we may publish them! riddle rat! hmmm... What do birds pass out on HaLLoween? (answer on p. 6) sept/oct

3 They can think. They can reason. They can pass information on to one another. Prairie dogs and other animals may be smarter than we think! Although short, the tail is useful for signaling to other prairie dogs. 4 kind news jr. ed. Speaking of Prairie Dogs Short, strong legs and clawed feet are ideal for digging burrows. Prairie dogs These cute rodents are related to ground squirrels. They live in underground burrows. A series of burrows is called a town, or colony. There are five species of prairie dogs, all found in North America. Prairie dogs ears are small and flat against their head, out of the way when they are tunneling underground. opposite page: cheryl ann quigley/bigstock. this page, from top: jim brandenburg/minden pictures; dave showalter; daniel j. cox/naturalexposures.com It s a busy day in prairie dog town. There are burrows to dig, and grasses and weeds to nibble. The furry rodents greet family and friends with a kiss and chatter with neighbors across town. They playfully chase each other and roll around in the dirt. Suddenly, an adult lets out a loud warning cry. Everyone scurries into their underground burrows for safety. An intruder has invaded the town and already, even without seeing the predator, everyone knows it s a thin, brown coyote. Professor Con Slobodchikoff (Sla-bod-chi-koff) of Northern Arizona University has been studying prairie dogs and how they communicate for many years. What he s discovered will amaze you! Prairie dogs have a very sophisticated language, he says. There is one call for hawks and another for humans. There are even different calls for coyotes and dogs. What s more, prairie dogs can describe the shape and color of the predator! Color-Coordinated To prove this, the professor had one of his students walk into a prairie dog town several times. Each time, the student wore a different color T-shirt, and the prairie dogs reaction was recorded. Sure enough, their alarm calls varied slightly each time. Practice Makes Perfect Slobodchikoff also tells us that prairie dog pups babble! They stand around an adult female kind of like schoolkids around the schoolteacher, explains the professor. The adult gives a predator call, and the babies try to mimic the call. Gradually, over the space of several months, they get better at it. Prairie Dog Problems Today, prairie dogs have a lot to talk about. Considered by some to be pests, they are often poisoned and shot for sport. Their colonies are bulldozed to make way for new construction. This happens even though many other animals need prairie dogs and their burrows. At least nine species depend on them for food and shelter, including some of the rarest animals in North America. In the last 100 years, 98 percent of prairie dogs have been wiped out. Bark, Yip, or Squeak! prairie dogs need us to speak up for them. professor slobodchikoff urges kids to help save these fascinating creatures from extinction. find out how to help at humanesociety.org/kindnews. Swift foxes, named for their speed, depend on prairie dogs for food. Black-footed ferrets are an endangered species. They rely completely on prairie dogs for food and shelter. Burrowing owls live in abandoned prairie dog burrows. They use them to raise their young. Prairie Dogs: Key to Prairie Survival Scientists refer to some animals as keystone * species. That s because the animals are considered very important, or key, to their habitat. If a keystone species disappears (becomes extinct) other animals and plants in that habitat are also at risk. Prairie dogs are considered a keystone species. They play an important role in their habitat. They provide food for predators and shelter for other burrowing animals. Their digging keeps the soil loose and allows seeds to sprout. Animals who depend on prairie dogs include black-footed ferrets, burrowing owls, hawks, coyotes, American badgers, and swift foxes. *Keystone: the topmost stone used in building a stone arch. Sometimes called the capstone, it holds all the other stones in place. If the keystone is removed, the arch collapses. sept/oct

4 Club members (left to right) Lukas and Emma Sznewajs, Regan Malinzak, and Peter Sznewajs put their talent to work for animals. a very kind business Kids start K-9 Club Cares to help shelter animals Fifth-graders Regan Malinzak and Emma Sznewajs (Sne-vice) of Michigan love animals. So when Regan s dad suggested she find a project to do with her friends, helping animals was at the top of her list. Regan just wasn t sure what she could do until Emma came up with a great idea. Emma had made a toy for her dog from fleece strips braided together. The girls decided to make more of the toys, sell them, and donate the money to help animals. K-9 Club Cares was in business! We have sold way more than our parents ever thought we would, says Regan. Demand was so great that the girls enlisted the help of Emma s brothers, Lukas and Peter. I help design and make the toys, says Lukas, a seventh-grader, but my most important job is keeping track of what we earn and how much we have to donate. So far the young business partners have given more than $2,400 to animal rescues and shelters. We are planning to keep working hard so we can help even more homeless animals find forever families to love, says Regan. Making pet toys is easy and fun! 1 cut 100 percent polyester non-fraying fleece fabric (from finished end to finished end) into three strips, 3 inches wide. 2 Knot the strips together at one end. 3 braid the strips until you have enough left to make a knot at the other end. 4 Tie the knot, and you re done! you can do it! Ask your local animal shelter for a list of items they could use most, such as: food for dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs cat litter and old newspapers towels and blankets for bedding first-aid supplies, such as bandages and cotton balls pet toys and treats 6 kind news jr. ed. answer: Tweets! (Sent in by Mrs. Smith s Class, Tampa, Florida) Hold a collection for the items on your list. Ask your principal for permission to have your whole school participate. Then set up boxes where students and teachers can put donations. Advertise your collection with posters and announcements. Deliver your donations during National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (Nov. 6 12). Include a card thanking shelter staff for all they do for animals! Everyone s favorite talking dog, Martha from the Martha Speaks TV show on PBS Kids, is speaking out for homeless pets. Visit pbskids.org/ martha to join Martha in helping shelters near you and for more ways to learn with Martha! watch martha speaks on pbs kids! (check local listings) opposite page, counter-clockwise from top, first two: erin drallos; digital zoo/photodisc/getty images; martha speaks tm/ wgbh, book characters/art tm/ susan meddaugh. this page: ron sanford/corbis moving on As summer turns to fall, there are fewer hours of daylight. Air and water temperatures also change. For some animals, these are clues that it s time to migrate, or move to another place. Not all animals migrate. Some adapt their behaviors to survive the winter, and others hibernate. Never disturb wild animals when they are denning or migrating. match the animals below with the correct clue. mallard duck a b c d Honk, honk! Do you think the V we make in the sky stands for a Very long trip? wild neighbors! Helping wild animals prepare for winter The nights are cooler, and leaves are beginning to fall. It s time to clean up nature s litter before winter sets in, right? Not so fast! Those leaves, twigs, branches, and plants will help wild animals survive the long, cold winter ahead. Ask your parents if you can help wildlife this year by doing the following: Don t be a snip! Wait until spring to cut back plant stalks and dead flowers in gardens or patio planters. They ll provide animals with winter food and spring nesting materials. monarch butterfly I ll make a big splash when I arrive in warmer waters. That s where I ll give birth to my 1-ton baby! Canada goose Adios, Canada! We re on a royal tour, headed to Mexico. Watch for us to flutter by! Corner the market. Pile some leaves in a corner of your yard. The leaves will provide food and a nice blanket for insects, toads, and salamanders. humpback whale Birds of a feather flock together! Heading to warmer weather sounds just ducky to me. Berry them! Plant some berry bushes. Birds and small animals will use them for food and shelter. Pile it on. A heap of twigs and branches makes a cozy shelter for small mammals. Place your pile near food sources and away from buildings. critter clues Who is this mystery critter? 1 They call me a cigar with wings. 2 I never set foot on the ground. 3 I love a room with a flue. 4 Please don t light your fireplace just yet. 5 I eat one-third my weight in insects every day. 6 Swooping and diving, I m really quite swift! Stock the snack bar. Migrating birds may stop by your feeder to fuel up for a long trip. Keep birdfeeders clean and full of fresh seed! sept/oct

5 to the rescue! Hannah P. Motamus The HSUS s Fund for Animals Wildlife Center ramona, california Hannah is a pygmy hippopotamus. She once was kept as a pet in someone s backyard. Without water or shade, her skin dried and cracked. Fortunately, Hannah was rescued and brought to The Humane Society of the United States Fund for Animals Wildlife Center. After lots of care from staff at the center, Hannah is healthy again. Hannah is an example of why wild animals should not be kept as pets. They often suffer because it s difficult to provide them with the right habitat. Because Hannah Hannah { Pygmy Hippo } How does a 600-pound hippo celebrate her birthday? For Hannah, who turns 38 this fall, it probably means something sweet sweet onions, that is. It s her favorite food! was raised in captivity, she cannot be released back to the wild. She will have to remain at the sanctuary. Hannah seems to think that s just fine! Pygmy hippos spend most of their time in the water. Rescued from a backyard, Hannah loves her pool and mud pond. left: raymond eubanks; right: julydfg/depositphotos inc. Kind Quiz Now that you ve read Kind News, test yourself to see what you ve learned! 1. In the wild, pygmy hippos spend most of their time: a) climbing rocky cliffs. b) sunbathing. c) in water. 2. Explain why wild animals should not be kept as pets. 3. What is similar about the way prairie dog pups and human babies learn to communicate? 4. What is life like for puppy mill dogs? 5. What clues might tell migrating animals that it s time to move on? 6. Pygmy hippos are native to the continent in gold below. The name of that continent is. 2011, the humane society of the united states, 2100 l street, nw, washington, dc all rights reserved. kind news may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the hsus. printed on recycled paper. to subscribe, call (toll free) or visit humanesociety.org/kindnews.