Your kids can learn all about safety precautions on Safety Pup Day on February 12. Our furry puppet friends have been a guiding force to our kids since 1985. Introduced by the National Child Safety Council (N.C.S.C.), it provides a fun, entertaining way to teach kids about necessary precautions to keep them safe.
History of Safety Pup Day
If you don’t already know, Safetypup® is the character channeled in puppets, on milk cartons, and mascots used to impart safety knowledge into the hearts of our little ones. Children are prone to have very short attention spans and always require the quickest, most interesting way to absorb necessary information — Safetypup® provides that.Created by N.C.S.C.’s Research & Development Department in 1985 and presented to the world on February 12 of the same year. Safetypup® makes learning about safety issues fun, entertaining, and non-threatening. Safetypup® has become familiar to hundreds of thousands of children from all over the country who view it as a trusted friend.Safetypup® appears on milk cartons, joins the ranks of many law enforcement agencies throughout the nation, and even walks among us in the form of costumes and mascots. The campaign was created by N.C.S.C. and has been used by law enforcement agencies especially to impart safety knowledge and tips to our children.It was first introduced at a news conference in Washington, D.C., by award-winning actress Rita Moreno who served as a spokeswoman. Since then, Safetypup® has been distributed in billions to school lunchrooms and homes across the country on milk cartons with educational safety tips. Their puppet versions have been used for presentations by law enforcement officers to children in hundreds of schools and used by teachers for safety awareness and prevention education programs and materials. The Safetypup® mascot costume includes a cape, pants, shirt, paw spats, and dog paw gloves.
Safety Pup Day timeline
The National Child Safety Council (N.C.S.C.) is formed as a Police Safety Service.
The National Child Safety Council begins the Missing Children Milk Carton Program to create awareness of the child abduction issue worldwide.
The Safetypup® Programme is created and announced on February 12.
The ‘Kids & Teens In-Flight’ brochure is released in cooperation with the Department of Transportation, outlining safety rules for parents concerning children flying unattended.
Safety Pup Day FAQs
What is Safety Pup Day about?
Safety Pup Day recognizes the efforts of the Safetypup® campaign created by the National Child Safety Council in 1985 to raise awareness of safety procedures for our children and the issue of child abduction worldwide.
Who is Safetypup®?
Safetypup® is a dog character created to represent the campaign to teach children about safety precautions.
Where can I find Safetypup®?
You can find Safetypup® and his advice on milk cartons in the form of puppets and mascots and even in television shows, cartoons, and books.
How to Observe Safety Pup Day
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Get a safety puppet
Safetypups® are not only restricted to law enforcement officers or teachers. You can get one yourself to add some fun when teaching your kids about safety precautions. You can get these puppets by visiting the website.
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Spread the word about child safety
Safety Pup Day provides the perfect opportunity to spread the word about the importance of child safety precautions. Take to social media and spread the word about the day and its importance.
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Attend a police department event
The police department usually organizes Safetypup® events, particularly on special days like this. Attend one with your children or the children of relatives and friends.
5 Facts About Child Abduction In America
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It’s not the same as kidnapping
Kidnapping is when a child is forcefully detained and held for ransom money or other gains.
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Parental abduction is a thing
It’s possible for one parent to take a child from the other, usually during custody battles.
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It might be a runaway
The vast majority of kids reported missing ran away.
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Most cases involve girls
About two-thirds of stranger abductions involve female children with an average age of 11.
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Some incidents end up in death
Over 40% of the incidents end with the death of the child.
Why Safety Pup Day is Important
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Children’s safety is important
The safety of our little ones is very important. With dozens of kidnapping and abduction cases occurring every month, raising awareness for child safety plays a major role.
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It teaches children about their safety
Safetypup is an amazing campaign geared at protecting our kids by finding fun and interesting ways to spread safety knowledge. This program goes a step further to raise awareness in children about potential harm and safety precautions.
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It raises awareness
Safety Pup Day spreads awareness on current issues surrounding child safety. With events, brochures, and mascots, the day seeks to spread worldwide knowledge on the importance of child safety procedures.
Safety Pup Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | February 12 | Sunday |
| 2024 | February 12 | Monday |
| 2025 | February 12 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | February 12 | Thursday |
| 2027 | February 12 | Friday |
