August 26th

By Mutt Mulligan

Happy National Dog Day from TurfMutt!

In honor of National Dog Day today, TurfMutt (pictured with his owner, Kris Kiser, president & CEO of OPEI) wants to remind everyone about the importance of rescuing and adopting homeless animals. As you know, the real TurfMutt – Lucky – is a rescue dog himself.

Now he’s “pawing it forward” by helping teach kids about the importance of taking care of the green spaces for their communities, families and pets. The TurfMutt program, in partnership with Scholastic, teaches kids in grades K-5 to take care of the environment while learning science. After all, who knows your yard better than a dog?

TurfMutt is not only on a mission to teach kids about living landscapes. He’s also a big supporter of animal rescue. In fact, he’s a big part of the upcoming Fido-Friendly cross-country pet adoption tour: Get Your Licks on Route 66.

The TurfMutt education program is sponsored by OPEI’s Education and Research Foundation, and has reached more than 62 million kids, teachers and families with its message of ‘saving the planet one yard at the time.’

Keep an eye out for the new TurfMutt essay contest that’s launching this fall. Your kids can submit essays on how they are helping TurfMutt and the Outdoor Powers combat the environmental villains (Carbon Creep, Dust Demon, Dr. Runoff and Heat Freak).

One winner will earn their school a $10,000 grant to spruce up their school grounds or install an outdoor classroom. For the first time this year, a teacher will be given the  TurfMutt Teacher Award, earning a trip to the National Science Teachers Association annual conference in spring 2017.

Watch TurfMutt.com for contest entry rules and deadlines.