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Pet Care Trust, Pet Partners to Launch Dogs in the Classroom Program

Glenn Polyn//October 28, 2021//

Pet Care Trust, Pet Partners to Launch Dogs in the Classroom Program

Glenn Polyn //October 28, 2021//

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Press release: Pet Care Trust

The Pet Care Trust, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance students’ educational and personal development through interaction with pets in their classrooms, is proud to announce its partnership with Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization registering therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions, in launching the Dogs in the Classroom program. The pilot program will provide interactions with registered therapy dog teams in approximately 100 classrooms in select markets across the country, helping more students experience the benefits of the human-animal bond. The pilot, which will run through the 2021-22 school year, will allow the program to prepare for expansion to more classrooms in future school years.

According to Pet Partners, research proves there are social, behavioral and academic benefits to student interaction with pets in the educational setting. Classroom pets can help improve academic performance, increase reading competency, and reduce school-related stress, which can positively improve academic performance. They can also help improve children’s engagement and learning of social and emotional skills, thereby aiding children in developing a sense of responsibility and sensitivity towards others while increasing their confidence.

The Dogs in the Classroom program will help The Pet Care Trust bring these benefits to teachers and students beyond their existing program, Pets in the Classroom, which is an educational grant program that provides funding for a small animal or pet supplies to pre-kindergarten through ninth-grade teachers in both private and public schools who desire to introduce a pet into the classroom or who already have a pet in the classroom.

“The Pet Care Trust welcomes the collaborative partnership with Pet Partners whose therapy animal teams have impacted millions of lives,” said Matt Coffindaffer, executive director of the Pet Care Trust. “We are thrilled to launch the Dogs in the Classroom program for the students, teachers and communities we serve. Dogs in the Classroom will provide educators unique opportunities to educate and develop students and improve their health and well-being through interaction with dogs. I would like to thank our sponsors and supporters for making this dynamic new program possible.”

“We are proud to partner with The Pet Care Trust to help expand our Therapy Animal Program into additional classrooms to help more students experience the benefits of the human-animal bond,” said Pet Partners president and CEO C. Annie Peters. “We are excited to work with an organization that shares our passion for promoting the positive effects people experience when interacting with companion animals.”

Together, Pet Partners and The Pet Care Trust will help students in classrooms across the U.S. and Canada experience the positive effects of the human-animal bond.