Ciera O'Rourke — founder of Pets on the Green & PawSteps, and the person behind every animal on the site.
I founded Pets on the Green to bring children and animals together in a way that genuinely helps — especially children who find mainstream school hard. What began as a love of animals grew into an animal-assisted therapy and alternative-provision service, and then into PawSteps: a learning platform that carries that same warmth online, so any child can learn alongside our animals wherever they are.
Every care guide, lesson and workbook here is written from real, hands-on experience of looking after the animals I work with. I care for around two dozen species — from hedgehogs and rats to bearded dragons, tortoises and Rosie the galah — and I've written care guides for many of them so families and schools can learn to look after animals properly and kindly.
Pets on the Green provides animal-assisted therapy, 1:1 SEN sessions and alternative provision (including EHCP Section F placements), plus school visits, care-home visits and educational sessions. The work is grounded in animal welfare, safeguarding and inclusion — animals are ambassadors, never props, and no child is ever pressured to take part.
These are some of the care guides and articles I've written for PawSteps — real husbandry knowledge, made friendly to read:
Pets on the Green is a licensed, insured and safeguarding-led organisation.