How do “crazy cat” women and men become the way they are?! By being “crazy cat” children of course!
Educating children on the importance of responsible pet ownership is exactly what the Pet Education Project, also known as P.E.P, has at the core of their mission. This ameowzing organizations goal is to “strive to foster humane habits in children and citizens of our community in order to reduce pet overpopulation, abuse, neglect, and euthanasia.”
Erica Callais Falbaum founded P.E.P, based in Louisiana, in 2009 after volunteering at a shelter and realizing that the number of animals surrendered would never decrease unless generational changes were implemented. She sought to educate kids “by cultivating skills of responsibility, empathy, and compassion so we can end the cycles that bring pets into shelters in the first place”.
P.E.P. now has 4 national chapters located across the United States, publishes a quarterly children’s magazine “Happy Tails” that ships to 35 states and 6 countries, and has sold over 500 copies of their book “PEP! Squad, The 5 Steps to a Happy and Healthy Pet”. Schools can schedule a fun classroom presentation of this book that reviews more than 10 topics including the importance of spay/neutering, safety and empathy towards the animal kingdom.
Kids who love animals and are dedicated to saving creatures of all species can also join the PEP! SQUAD, attend winter and summer camps and fund-raise to cultivate awareness of their worthy causes. According to their website, they have volunteered for an ASTOUNDING 14,000 hours and helped collect 25,000 pounds of pet food and supplies for families affected by the BP Oil Spill in 2010 and the flooding in South Louisiana in 2016! Heroes definitely come in all sizes =)
Not only does P.E.P. successfully spread knowledge and inspiration to children across the world through their magazines and book, but they have found a fun and catchy way to team up with other rescues through social media to reach thousands of potential future animal advocates. Check out this catchy music video from Robinson’s Rescue Low Cost Spay/Neuter.
https://www.facebook.com/peteducationproject/videos/1635191736517451/
PURRlease follow and support this fantastic organization! Children are the future and our beloved animals all over the world deserve the support these generations will be around to provide when we are not able to.
For more info on their organization and purchase merchandise (100% of the proceeds go to their outreach programs!): https://www.ilovepep.org/
Follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/peteducationproject/
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