NAHANT — Three Nahant teens are using their passion for pets to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award.
Driven by reports of the devastation left behind by recent hurricanes, Ammelie Gutermuth, Veronica Hill, and Rachel McCarthy of Girl Scout Troop 62035, all 14, have teamed up to create emergency pet safety kits to provide to Nahant and Swampscott Town Halls.
“We’re seeing if local shelters can make it part of their policy to include the kids when animals are adopted,” said McCarthy.
“We’ve all adopted pets and haven’t seen it as one of the items they include,” said Hill.
The girls researched online best practices for keeping animals safe during an emergency and interviewed first responders in Nahant, including Police Chief Robert Dwyer, to learn about common mistakes.
After gathering all information, they created a kit that can be filled out with important information and left on the refrigerator door, where they learned first responders look first.
In their informational packet, the teens encourage pet owners to create an emergency supply kit with food, water, medications, important documents, harness and leash, sanitation items, and a picture of the owner and pet together.
Keeping a photo with a pet helps owners quickly prove the pet is theirs if they need to claim it.
The girls said they were surprised by some of the tips they learned, including keeping pets in a confined space when the police or an ambulance service is coming to the house to avoid them getting out, and that first responders look on the fridge for emergency contact information.
A sticker which can be filled out with the number of pets in the household and placed on a window or door is included in the packet.
To earn the Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout cadette can earn, scouts are required to identify a problem that matters to them by identifying a cause and a solution with long-term impact.
The scouts made a presentation to a group of younger scouts, and handed out kits at Doggie Beach, the police station, and Town Hall. They raised money for the project, which cost between $400-$500, in part through cookie sales.
