At Lynn Hale Elementary School, career day was a bark above the rest when Animal Services Officers Annette De La Rosa and Alexandria Diaz de Leon dropped in to give the kids a glimpse of life on the job. On March 28, these officers wowed the young students with tales of rescues and responsibilities in their day-to-day efforts to keep furry friends safe and sound.
With an eagerness reminiscent of the pups they save, Officer De La Rosa shared her childhood enthusiasm for career days past, expressing how the event ignited her professional aspirations. "We both had a lot of fun talking with the students about our jobs – it reminded me of whenever I was their age and was looking forward to career day," said De La Rosa, according to the City of Arlington, Texas. The pair recounted a recent save involving a mother dog and her progeny trapped beneath a bridge, where the Arlington Fire Department stepped in to free the pups from their concrete prison.
Diaz de Leon stressed the importance of literacy in their line of work, explaining that keeping up with reading and writing skills is vital for documentation and communication in the field. The officers' dynamic presentation included De La Rosa demonstrating the strength of their animal service truck's drop-down cage by sitting in it while being lifted by Diaz de Leon. "It really did – they went crazy!" Diaz de Leon told the City of Arlington, Texas, that her strategy to engage the students proved to be a hit.
The dynamic duo also imparted wisdom on responsible pet ownership, emphasizing the necessity of acquiring city licenses and tags for pets. "When owners license their animals and their pet is wearing its tag, it makes it easy for officers in the field to retrieve information from the tag to contact the pet's owner and get it safely back home," highlighted De La Rosa, as per the City of Arlington, Texas.
Lynn Hale's counselor, Mallory Tate, praised the officers' engagement with the children, noting the educational and enjoyable nature of their visit. While curious queries about zoo animals initially threw the officers, students were equally captivated upon learning about wild animals like coyotes and bobcats that the officers sometimes encounter. For those looking to dig deeper into the subject, the officers encouraged visiting the Animal Services website to learn more about responsible pet ownership and local urban wildlife.
