(Meriden, CT) -- On October 21, Cesar addressed an assembly of 400 school officials, parents, teachers and students at Ben Franklin School about the recently implemented Mutt-i-grees™ program.

The program is now expanding to more schools across the US, with plans to enter high schools in the next phase. The curriculum, which includes several videos starring Cesar, covers themes regarding interaction with dogs with such topics as All About Instincts, Living in the Moment, and Nose First, then Eyes, then Ears.

“This is all about teaching kids to have empathy and compassion through the lessons we learn from dogs,” Cesar said. “From them, we learn that living instinctually means being emotionally aware and mindfully in tune.”

Students were given the opportunity to engage in a question and answer segment after Cesar’s address, in which third grader Katrina asked, “How did you become the Dog Whisperer?” Cesar responded by telling a story of when he was younger and passed by a pet store with his mother. He asked his mother if he could one day become a dog trainer and she told Cesar, “You can be whatever you want to be!”

In addition to the in-school curriculum, plans for a Mutt-i-grees™ social media platform are in the works. The Mutt-i-grees™ website will host the “Mutter” social media network, which will allow teachers, parents and other adults to interact with one another on animal welfare issues. Students will also be able to access “Mutter” as a source to share their thoughts about the Mutt-i-grees™ curriculum.

To find out more about the Mutt-i-grees™ program, visit education.muttigrees.org!