An article on the BBC website today talks about the value a school dog, Missy, brings to help calm unruly children’s behaviour http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8632592.stm - she creates a safe haven where pupils can calm down, then open up and talk. Our schools section gives more background on this.

Our National Pet Month schools competition this year - once more art focussed - is themed ‘A happy pet I know’ - and as well as getting schools involved we’re also encouraging pet shops and vet practices to get in touch with local schools to talk to them about responsible pet ownership (and indeed, how to behave responsibly around animals) - and to share with the pupils and teachers some of the joy that being around animals can bring to children.

The competition is open till 28th May, so there’s still plenty of time to get involved - details are here: National Pet Month art competition.

As we near the final quarter of National Pet Month there are still lots of events going up on the website all the time - don’t forget to tell us about yours if it’s yet to happen - and if you want to find a local event to go to - then look at the What’s On section of the website. We’ve already had some amazing events and I can’t wait to hear more - and see photos - about how they went.