UK animal welfare groups launch pet care resource website

Results from two new surveys conducted by the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association found that 89 percent of adults, 78 percent of primary teachers and 70 percent of secondary teachers all agree that it is important to teach children responsibility through proper pet care, though pet care is not currently taught at the majority of primary and secondary schools (60 percent and 85 percent, respectively) in the UK. To aid in educating children about how to care for pets, UK animal welfare charities have collaborated to launch a new website that provides pet care and pet nutrition resources all in one place. 
The Pet Food Manufacturers' Association helped to establish the Education Alliance, made up of pet welfare groups including Blue Cross, The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals and The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Alliance's free educational resource website, www.peteducationresources.co.uk, features an interactive map, allowing users to find pet establishments they can visit and organizations that will come to schools to do pet care demonstrations. The site also has links to resources and lesson plans to help teachers make learning about pets fun. 
Sean Wensley, senior veterinary surgeon for communication and education at The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, said: “PDSA is delighted to be part of this collaboration of pet charities and organizations. Between us, we provide a wealth of high-quality information on pet health and welfare. We hope that making all of these resources available from a single website will raise awareness of the materials available and make credible, evidence-based information easy to locate and access.”