SIMPLY PETS KIDS - WINTER ISSUE 2020/2021

THE PLACE WHERE HAPPY LIVES!
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A lifestyle magazine for kids who love pets and animals
Manatee Hospital
Reindeer Games

CONTENTS
HOLIDAY 2020
1
2
BRINGING
SIMPLY PETS KIDS 7
TO LIFE
AMAZING ANIMALS
FUN MANATEE FACTS
8
THE MAGIC INTERVIEW
3
5 With Dr. Meredith Persky
JOBS WITH ANIMALS
MESSAGE from Magic
Hello friends!
10
12
THE REMARKABLE
REINDEER
REINDEER GAMES
COLORING PAGE
MERCURY + SIRIUS
Founder + Publisher
Lisa Smith Putnam {LSP}
Content Editor
Debbie Garcia-Bengochea
Editor Consultant
Lillie Ammann
Art Direction + Graphic Design
Michele Rodriguez
SimplyPetsLifestyle
SimplyPetsLife
SimplyPetsLifestyle
This has been very unusual year. I am missing many
things that I have been doing all of my life. Visiting
patients inside hospitals. Reading with my friends at
schools and libraries. Traveling around the country to
meet new friends. The last trip I took was to New York City
all the way back in February!
But it won’t be forever, and no matter how much has
changed right now, the most important things are still the
same. My family loves me. I can have fun and stay in
touch with my friends in hospitals on video. You should
see the smiles when patients are told, “There is a pony
on the phone for you.” I have even been filming reading
programs right here on the farm with Mr. Jorge.
Do you know what else has not changed?
The holiday season is almost here!
My family celebrates Christmas
and Christmas makes me
happy. You make me happy
too. I wish for you a holiday that
sparkles in all you do as you
and your family celebrate this
wonderful time of year.
Love,
Magic
Mini Mascot + Roving Reporter
Simply Pets Kids
Magic’s brother
Scout usually
works indoors.
Now he visits
his friends in
the windows.
Sometimes you
need to be
creative to stay
in touch with
the ones you
love! Scout is
at Brookdale
Chambrel
Pinecastle, an
assisted living
community.
Photos on pages 4, 9, 10 and 11 from Pixabay.
All other photos
by Debbie Garcia-Bengochea.
Simply Pets Kids is a division of
Simply Pets Magazine
Simply Pets, LLC
620 South Orcas Street #80651
Seattle, Washington 98108
www.simplypetslifestyle.com

A Special Gift!
To you from Lisa Smith Putnam {LSP},
Founder + Publisher of Simply Pets Magazine!
Simply Pets Kids digital magazine brings the stories in this issue to life with music,
videos, and even some snow! One lucky reader will receive a FaceTime call from
Magic, the mini mascot and roving reporter for Simply Pets Kids.
Go to www.simplypetslifestyle.com and look for the
blue paw print to receive your free digital magazine.
WE WANT TO
Hear From You!
THIS IS YOUR MAGAZINE.
Draw a picture of your
favorite animal, tell us a story,
share our coloring page, or
take a photo of your petkid.
It might be in our next issue!
We will look at and enjoy
every submission.
BE SURE TO INCLUDE:
Your first and last name
(only first name and age will be
published), address and phone
number, birthdate including year,
email address, and parent or
guardian’s signature.
Simply Pets Kids Address:
info@simplypetskids.com
Want to read
stories with
animal friends?
Join Mr. Jorge
for Storytime
on the Farm
in our digital
magazine.
Enjoy the music
of the CDME
Band in this
issue of Simply
Pets Kids digital
magazine.
Cameron 12,
Dylan 11, Mason
9, and Ethan 7,
are four brothers
who love to rock!
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 1

AMAZING ANIMALS
Surprising Manatee Facts!
Manatees are large marine
mammals sometimes
known as sea cows.
The closest living relatives
to the manatee are the
elephant and the hyrax.
Baby manatees are born
underwater. Mothers help
their calves to the surface
so that they can take their
first breath.
Manatee infants usually
swim on their own in about
an hour.
Adult manatees are ten to
twelve feet long and weigh
between 1,500 and 1,800
pounds.
Manatees eat a lot of food.
They eat weeds, algae and
water grasses. A manatee
can eat one tenth of what it
weighs every single day!
Manatees use their front
flippers to help them steer.
Sometimes they use their
flippers to crawl through
shallow water. They also
have strong, flat tails that
help propel them through
the water.
A manatee’s teeth are
called “marching molars”
because they are replaced
as they wear down
throughout the animal’s
lifetime.
Should they decide to
nap, a manatee can stay
underwater for 20 minutes
without taking a breath.
Manatees are grayish
brown in color with thick,
wrinkled skin. They often
have a growth of algae on
their skin.
Manatees
live about
fifty to
sixty
years.
A group of
manatees
is called an
aggregation.
2 Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020

The Magic Interview With
DR. MEREDITH PERSKY
Veterinarian at the Jacksonville Zoo +
Gardens Manatee Critical Care Center
MAGIC: WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU
WANTED TO BE A VETERINARIAN?
DR. PERSKY: As far back as I can
remember. I like working as a zoo
veterinarian because I can work with so
many species, from elephants to gorillas.
WATCH VIDEO
of Magic and
the manatees
on this page
of the digital
Simple Pets Kids
magazine.
MAGIC: TELL US
SOMETHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
THE MANATEE CRITICAL CARE CENTER.
DR. PERSKY: The Manatee Critical Care
Center admitted its first two patients
in 2017. It was built to hold five to six
animals at a time depending on the
needs of each manatee.
MAGIC: ARE MANATEES AN ENDANGERED
SPECIES?
DR. PERSKY: Manatees were recently
downlisted from endangered to
threatened status. Manatees are still
federally protected.
MAGIC: IF A MANATEE IS NOT FEELING
WELL, HOW DO THEY FIND THEIR WAY TO
A MANATEE HOSPITAL LIKE THE MANATEE
CRITICAL CARE CENTER?
Magic watches the manatees with Craig
Miller, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ curator
of mammals and leader of the Marine
Mammal Response Team.
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 3

DR. PERSKY: The Jacksonville Zoo and
Gardens has a Marine Mammal
Response Team made up of zoo
staff. They assist the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission
to rescue and transport manatees
to rehabilitation centers like the
Manatee Critical Care Center.
MAGIC: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
REASONS A MANATEE MAY NEED
MEDICAL CARE?
DR. PERSKY: Healthy adult manatees
have no natural predators in the
wild, but they can suffer injury from
boats, illness from pollution, or coldstress.
MAGIC: WHAT IS COLD-STRESS?
DR. PERSKY: Manatees need warm
water to survive. They usually swim
to warmer water once the water
temperature drops in the winter.
Sometimes they get stuck in a cold
spot and become cold-stressed.
MAGIC: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER
MANATEES ARE HEALTHY AGAIN?
DR. PERSKY: Once manatees have
recovered, they are released back
into the wild. Our goal is to return an
animal as quickly as possible, but
young manatees often take extra time.
“It’s always a good day
when we can return a
manatee back to the wild,”
says Craig Miller, Jacksonville
Zoo and Gardens’ curator of
mammals and leader of the
Marine Mammal Response
Team. Miller feeds romaine
lettuce to the manatees at
the Manatee Critical Care
Center.
MAGIC: WHO ARE THE MANATEES I AM
LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW?
DR. PERSKY: Their names are BriarRose and
Belle. They are young, female manatees.
MAGIC: BRIARROSE KEEPS COMING UP TO
THE GLASS TO LOOK AT ME. HOW LONG HAS
SHE BEEN HERE AT THE MANATEE CRITICAL
CARE CENTER?
DR. PERSKY: This is BriarRose’s second stay
at the Manatee Critical Care Center. She
was rescued last year after she was found
underweight and beached. BriarRose
received care and gained weight, then
was released again. She found a feeding
area with other manatees, but when
a cold front caused all of the animals
except BriarRose to travel to warmer
water, she was re-rescued before she
could become cold-stressed.
UPDATE: BriarRose has been released again. She was about
3 years old and weighed 873 pounds at the time of her
second return to the wild. The plan after BriarRose’s rerescue
was to make sure she was healthy and then release
her directly into warm water near other manatees.
Magic with
BriarRose at
the Manatee
Critical Care
Center.
4 Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020
BriarRose has a microchip and is now outfitted with a
satellite tag. She will be monitored to make sure she
is healthy, readjusting well, and using the warm water
throughout the winter. The tag will last about a year.
BriarRose was the thirteenth manatee released from the
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens since the opening of the
Critical Care Center.

JOBS WITH ANIMALS
WHAT DO YOU LOVE
ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I am passionate about
helping pet parents
have a lifelong, happy
relationship with their
dogs. I want to help every
dog in my class to be a
positive member of the
family.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO
TRAIN PUPPIES AND DOGS.
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH
ONE IS RIGHT?
I believe in a rewardsbased
approach. I
think it is important to
focus on rewarding the
behaviors we like. Positive
reinforcement training
is proven effective, and
it builds a strong bond
between a pet parent
and their dog. Going to
a class with your dog
should be fun!
WHAT IS
SOMETHING
IMPORTANT
YOU TEACH
PET PARENTS?
My training
classes teach pet
parents how to
communicate
with their dogs.
Learning to
understand what
our dogs are
telling us -- that
is the secret of
living a good life
together.
With puppies,
my classes also
include puppy
specifics like potty
training, chewing,
teething and
digging.
DOG TRAINER
BARB
GOEMBEL
West Dundee, Illinois
DO YOU ALSO TEACH OLDER
DOGS?
I have had many senior dogs
in my class. Dogs never stop
learning and older dogs
can sometimes be easier to
train than active puppies. It
is never too late to deepen
the bond you have with your
dog.
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 5

THE REMARKABLE
DID
YOU
KNOW?
REINDEER
Reindeer have wide
hooves that work like
paddles when they swim
across lakes or rivers.
Fur covering a reindeer’s
body helps it stay warm
in very cold weather.
They even have fur on the
bottoms of their hooves
that helps them walk on icy
ground.
Reindeer live in big groups
called herds. In the spring,
herds come together and
form an even bigger group
of up to 500,000 reindeer.
Reindeer use their sharp
hooves like shovels to dig
into the snow to find food.
Both male and female
reindeer grow antlers. In
other kinds of deer, only
males have antlers. Their
antlers grow at a fast rate,
as much as three quarters
of an inch per day! In
males they can reach a
length of four and a half
feet in just three months.
A reindeer calf can walk
about one hour after birth.
Females in a herd all give
birth at the same time of
year. That means a reindeer
calf has many friends to
play with. Lots of reindeer
games!
Is it a reindeer or is it a
caribou?
The
answer depends on
where you live. They are
called reindeer in Europe
and Asia where they have
been domesticated. In
the northern parts of North
America where they roam
in the wild, they are called
caribou. In the United
States, the name reindeer
is used when talking about
domesticated animals.
Domesticated reindeer
help people carry packs
and pull sleds.
Running reindeer can
reach speeds of fifty miles
per hour. No wonder they
were chosen to pull Santa’s
sleigh!
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 7

REINDEER
WORD
SEARCH
FIND
THESE
WORDS
REINDEER
CARIBOU
ANTLERS
HERD
HOOVES
CALF
ASIA
GAMES
SLEDS
SANTA
RIVERS
LAKES
S R E I N D E E R H Y C B R
G R T I R P W V B S F W Z I
C S D M V C A R I B O U T V
A T D H K A P W Y S N B V E
N S A E L L A S I A Q U T R
T E O R U F T Y D S Z E T S
L S M D D T R S P T M U S H
E H S B U R W D K G S R O P
R O P M U W B N N S T O Q I
S O E E S E Y S L E D S P E
Y V O O A T D C S X K P U M
D E N W N N E L A K E S S A
J S Z T T U O P G A M E S L
K P X F A M S Y J F E E T E
8 Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020

CAN YOU SPOT THE 5 DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THESE TWO PHOTOS?
ANSWERS ON PAGE 11
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 9

COLORING
Art by Debbie Garcia-Bengochea.
10 Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020

PUZZLE ANSWERS
FROM PAGES 8 + 9
S R E I N D E E R H Y C B R
G R T I R P W V B S F W Z I
C S D M V C A R I B O U T V
A T D H K A P W Y S N B V E
N S A E L L A S I A Q U T R
T E O R U F T Y D S Z E T S
L S M D D T R S P T M U S H
E H S B U R W D K G S R O P
R O P M U W B N N S T O Q I
S O E E S E Y S L E D S P E
Y V O O A T D C S X K P U M
D E N W N N E L A K E S S A
J S Z T T U O P G A M E S L
K P X F A M S Y J F E E T E
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 11

MERCURY + SIRIUS
Just because we are different doesn’t
mean we can’t be friends. We just
need to care about each other. That
is the magical message of real-life
best friends Mercury and Sirius, a
miniature therapy horse and his
canine companion.
Children around the world are enjoying the
magical story of best friends Mercury and Sirius.
Sirius is a Maremma sheepdog, a
livestock guardian breed from Italy.
They are usually solid white dogs, but
Sirius was born with spots. When Sirius
was two months old, Mercury was
born on the farm. Mercury is a blueeyed
miniature horse. He has spots
too, and an unusual color pattern
with three white legs and one dark
leg, one white ear and one dark
ear. Mercury and Sirius became
instant friends. They may be different
but only see the ways they are alike.
12 Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020

AVAILABLE
NOW!
AT YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSELLERS INCLUDING
Amazon + www.simplypetslifestyle.com
Watch the real Mercury and Sirius play together and read their
story on your free digital Simply Pets Kids magazine.
Simply Pets Kids Magazine HOLIDAY 2020 13

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A division of Simply Pets Magazine, Simply Pets LLC.