Our Curriculum
Dog Ownership & Companionship Curriculum for CCSD Schools, K-12
The first-of-its-kind comprehensive education program designed to teach responsible dog ownership, animal welfare, empathy, and community responsibility to students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
CCSD Schools
Students Reached
Largest District in the Nation
Clark County is home to one of the largest and most diverse student populations in the nation — nearly 287,000 students across 379 schools. Yet there is no district-wide program teaching children about responsible pet ownership, animal welfare, or the human-animal bond.
The result: thousands of dogs are surrendered, abandoned, or neglected each year by families who were never taught how to properly care for a companion animal. The Paws & Purpose curriculum addresses this gap at its root — educating the next generation before the cycle of neglect begins.
Grade-Level Framework
Introduction to animals as living beings with feelings and needs. Students learn basic dog safety — how to approach a dog, reading body language — empathy and gentle handling, and the concept that pets depend on people for food, water, shelter, and love.
Key Topics
Building on foundational empathy, students explore the daily responsibilities of dog ownership — feeding schedules, exercise needs, grooming, and veterinary care. Lessons include the difference between adopting and buying, why dogs end up in shelters, and the importance of spaying and neutering.
Key Topics
Middle school students examine the broader community impact of responsible pet ownership. Topics include animal cruelty awareness and reporting, the role of rescue organizations, volunteerism and community service through animal welfare, and the science behind the human-animal bond and its mental health benefits.
Key Topics
High school students engage with the policy and civic dimensions of animal welfare. Curriculum includes animal welfare legislation and how laws are made, career pathways in veterinary medicine, animal behavior, and nonprofit management, leadership through volunteer coordination and fundraising, and a capstone service-learning project partnering with Doodle Rescue USA.
Key Topics
The Roadmap
Launch in 10 CCSD elementary schools in Clark County
Expand to 25 schools including middle schools
Full implementation across all 379 CCSD schools
Available to all Nevada school districts as a model curriculum
