Tag: charity

  • Did You Know Petland Provides Classroom Pets for Teachers?

    Did You Know Petland Provides Classroom Pets for Teachers?

    Research has shown that students interacting with pets in the educational setting has social, behavioral and academic benefits. Classroom pets can reduce school-related stress, boost reading competency and enhance academic performance overall. 

    For young children, taking care of pets from a young age helps instill social and emotional skills. This process also enables children to develop a sense of responsibility and feel sensitive to others outside of themselves, boosting their confidence levels too. 

    This is exactly why Petland stores are part of the initiative to help teachers receive a pet for their classroom. 

    How To Apply

    The process of applying for the Classroom grant program is a pretty straightforward one. Here are the three steps: 

    1. Check Whether You Qualify 

    To qualify, you would need to check the following boxes: 

    • Be a pre-K through 9th grade public or private school teacher in the US or Canada (Pre-K begins at age 3)
    • Must be your first time applying for a Pets in the Classroom grant that school year
    • If you’ve been a recipient of a store or rebate grant, you would only be eligible for the Sustaining Grant 

    A “yes” to all three requirements implies eligibility. 

    1. Choosing a Pet 

    A range of factors affect a choice of pet in this case. Some major ones include: 

    • Your experience level with pets
    • How long you’re willing to care for the pet
    • The classroom environment/dynamic
    • The noise level in your classroom
    • Ease of handling pet
    • Potential zoonotic diseases associated with pet
    • Costs involved in caring for the pet
    • Access to veterinary care  

    These are a few factors that you would need to consider. 

    1. Choosing a Grant 

    There are a number of grants available and this is where Petland comes in. You can apply to the grant here after creating an account with Pets In the Classroom. 

    Conclusion 

    Pets teach us a whole lot and it’s not too early to allow them impart your students too.

  • Petland In the Community

    Petland In the Community

    Petland stores pride themselves on giving back to the community that has given so much to us in terms of patronage and trust. It is mainly for this reason that we run several charity programs and events to touch the lives of several people/pets across different states where our stores are located. Here are details of some of the different programs that we are involved in:

    Safari Stan’s Children’s Charities by Petland 

    This charity program was officially launched for children in 1994, and we currently have two organizations. For the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, since 1998, Petland has helped bring over 850 pet-related wishes. Likewise, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Petland has collected over $1.2 million for thirteen years and counting!

    Pet Therapy at Petland

    This program benefits young children and the elderly in our communities. Petland occasionally takes some of our pets on visits to schools and nursing homes for some animal and human bonding experience. This has been proven to be an incredible experience for people!

    Pets in the Classroom 

    This is a program run by the Pet Care Trust, with Petland as an active member. This program seeks to generate funds to enable teachers to purchase pets and pet-related supplies for their classrooms. The aim of this is to promote a healthy relationship between kids and their pets if/when they have one.

    Adopt A Pet

    Petland takes in homeless pets from various sources such as pet rescue groups, local animal shelters, or people with more pets than they can properly take care of. Petland counselors work hand-in-hand with the welfare groups to find satisfactory homes for these pets.

    Other activities include:

    • Providing funds and feeding for several therapy dogs,service dogs, and k9 units.
    • Providng therap and companion dogs for incapacitated veterans
    • Providing extra protection for all their pets through technology

    Now, this is our little way of giving back, and we would definitely be looking to do even more!