Third-grader earns special scout badge with help from Last Hope Animal Shelter

Girl Scout Ava Scopinich, 8, earned her Animal Care badge last month, after she paid a visit to Last Hope Animal Rescue in Wantagh. The Seaford Harbor Elementary School third-grader, a member of Brownie Troop 3443, visited the Beltagh Avenue shelter on Oct. 23, and learned to take care of pets while getting a tour of the center.

Ava’s mother, Danielle Scopinich, arranged the tour for her daughter with the help of the center’s outreach coordinator, Joann Anderson.

Danielle said it had been difficult for troop members to earn badges amid the coronavirus pandemic. She added that her daughter was motivated to earn as many as she could. There are over 50 badges a Brownie can earn.

The requirements for the Animal Care badge, Scopinich explained, include visiting a shelter and learning about how to take care of pets, with the proper food, exercise, veterinary visits and cleanliness.

Ava toured the shelter and the grounds, and was encouraged to ask Anderson questions about pets. She learned about the center’s veterinary clinic, and how animals’ personalities differ.

While Ava could have earned the badge by simply talking to someone with a pet, Danielle said, she opted to go the extra mile in an effort to educate her daughter. “I wanted her to have the experience of going to an actual clinic and opening her eyes to how there are mean people who do mean things to animals,” she said. “I wanted her to really know how to care for these pets.”

Last Hope has been open since 1981. The center, operated solely by volunteers, is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating cats and dogs, and offers numerous programs to help animals and owners.

Ava said the most important thing she learned was how to take care of pets.

“Honestly, this has been my favorite badge to get,” she added. “I was excited when my mom told me I was going to take the tour. I love animals, and I really wanted to learn about pets.” She said that holding the kittens was her favorite part.

Before the pandemic began, Girl Scouts were invited to tour the center regularly. Ava was the first scout to do so since then. She brought a notebook filled with questions about the facility and about how to care for cats and dogs. Anderson, who happens to be a retired third-grade teacher, said that Ava was well prepared for the tour.

“She’s a very articulate third-grader,” Anderson said. “She was delightful, and very enthusiastic about everyone she got to meet and all of the questions she had.”

It’s important to give tours, and teach young people about animal rescue and care, Anderson said. “We need to educate and teach kids how to take care of animals, because we need to pass the torch to them one day,” she said. “Oftentimes you see kids come in who are enthusiastic about pets, and this makes them much more enthusiastic.”

Anderson said she believed some of the animals in the shelter have experienced sadness due to a lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic. “The dogs aren’t as happy anymore,” she said. “They loved seeing people. We miss the troop tours and different activities. The dogs miss the interaction.”

This is Ava’s first year as a Brownie. Because of the pandemic, she could not participate in Girl Scouts last year. Before it began, she was a Daisy Scout for two years.

“I wanted her to have the ability to be with other girls, and learn kindness, and have a rapport with other girls and do community service work,” her mother said. “I wanted her to learn the history of being a part of the community.” 

Ava, who will next year become a Junior, said her collection of eight or nine Scout badges gives her a sense of pride. “Looking at the back of my vest or the front of my vest and seeing all of my badges, and seeing everything that I’ve accomplished and did makes me feel good,” she said.

As fate would have it, the day that she took her tour, a dog named Brownie was adopted. “I was shocked,” Ava said. “I’m a Brownie, and right after I left, a dog named Brownie got adopted. I thought that was amazing.”

Anderson said the shelter is always seeking donations of paper towels, pet toys and cat food. While the animals that are kept there are on a special diet, any brand of food can be dropped off, and will be used for the feral cat food pantry. For more on the shelter and to view a donation wishlist, go to www.lasthopeanimalrescue.org.