On October 25, 2022, the Petland Texas volunteer staff returned to the Museum District Childcare Center in Houston, TX with puppies, puppies, and more puppies! 

Mini Goldendoodle and Miniature Schnauzer puppies were in the mix as the young children played and learned about dogs for two hours with our volunteers. The puppy therapy event included a play pen where the kids were able to spend time petting, snuggling, and otherwise enjoying our cuddly fur balls.

If you’re wondering what puppies have to do with early childhood development, the answer might surprise you!   

The childcare center is committed to fostering problem solving skills in developing toddlers and children by engaging them in dynamic play. 

Respecting that each child has unique learning styles based on their personalities, the Museum District Childcare Center tailors its program in order to ensure optimal social, emotional, and educational outcomes for all the students. 

And that’s where puppies come in! The experience of handling puppies and interacting with them helps children develop socially and emotionally. But that’s not all.

Puppies benefit greatly from being exposed to and handled by children. In fact, playing with young children is an important part of a puppy’s socialization development! Petland Texas strongly supports the childcare center’s mission, and since we know that our puppies benefit, too, we couldn’t be happier to continue the relationship with the childcare center.

The volunteer staff from Petland Texas will visit the Museum District Childcare Center once a month for the rest of the year, so be sure to keep an eye out for future blogs featuring adorable photos of children bonding with Petland puppies!