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And of course no review of the inviduals at prep schools would be complete without a consideration of the animals at school. There is the almost complusory school dog or cat. Often the headmaster or other staff members have dogs at school. Some schools had cats, but they are less common and sometimes a kind of communal resident. Some schools have dogs for which some of the children volunteer to oversee. There are other animals at school. Many schools allow children to bring small pets such as gerbils and hamsters which they keep in a hut or other facility and care for in their free time. Many junior form classes have various creatures as do some science rooms.
And of course no review of the inviduals at prep schools would be complete without a consideration of the animals at school. There is the almost complusory school dog or cat. Often the headmaster or other senior staff members have dogs at school who take on the position of the school dog. Few animals receive such lavish attention as a school dog. And interesting the dog seem able to sense who belongs at the school. This of course is especially the case at small boarding schools. Some schools had cats, but they are less common and sometimes a kind of communal resident. The children sometimes write about the school dog or cat. More often they write about theor own pet or dogs and cats in general. Some of their written pieces are quite touching.
Some schools have dogs for which some of the children volunteer to oversee. This may be the headmastrs dogs or other dogs that for a variety of reason the schools is caring for.
Jupiter and Jasmine joined the school last September and were put in the care of Simon Fergusson and Stephen Hiatt. For the term they became an inseparable foursome with the boys spending much of their free time improving and modernising the hounds' kennel. The puppies were returned to the Stowe Pack in December, looking very wellwith Jupiter developing into a big, strong dog. Simon Fergusson and Stephen Hiatt went in July to the annual puppy show at Stowe but unfortunately we did not repeat the success of the previous year. Jasmine was placed 2nd and Jupiter 5th. But we were given some cheering news when we were told that Willow, our puppy last year, had been made Ghampion at the Great Yorkshire Show and won the highest award for a beagle in the country. The boys were rewarded for their hard eork by being presented a pewter tankard on which was engraved the hound's name. Once again we will be having two more puppies next year.
MFF, The School Record Beachborough School, September 1979.
Some children use free time to plsy with pets and animals. Many schools allow children to bring small pets. Gerbils and hamsters are popular choices and some have fancy cages. We also niticed rats and rabitts as well as some more exoticc pets. The pets are not allowed in dormitories. Instead they are generally kept in a hut or other facility. The children then care for them during their free time. They are allowed to take them out of the cages and play with them and of course they need to be fed and the cages cleaned. There are also cats and dogs at most of the schools to play with. The dogs are usually the pets of the masters. A few schools go a little further than small pets and keep a range of farm animals which the children, most from urban homes, find fascinating.
Many junior form classes have various creatures as do some science rooms.
Many hildren especially the girls become vert attached to the horses that they ride. The horses are not kept at school, but theu certainly are animals that the children very much have on their minds.
