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PBS Curious George teaches children about pet safety and shelters on Feb. 4 (VIDEO)

By April MacIntyre Jan 28, 2013, 19:58 GMT

Tune in alert for everyone\'s favorite monkey, Curious George, the #1 TV program for preschoolers, which continues its seventh season with a special episode about animal shelters premiering Monday, February 4, 2013 on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

Tune in alert for everyone's favorite  monkey, Curious George, the #1 TV program for preschoolers, which continues its seventh season with a special episode about animal shelters premiering Monday, February 4, 2013 on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

In "Where's the Firedog?" George's canine friend, Blaze, keeps running away from the firehouse. When Blaze winds up in the animal shelter, George and his firefighter friend Sam learn how to keep her safe by putting a tag on her collar, walking her on a leash, and making sure she's never lonely.

From PBS

In "Where's the Firedog?" George's canine friend, Blaze, keeps running away from the firehouse. When Blaze winds up in the animal shelter, George and his firefighter friend Sam learn how to keep her safe by putting a tag on her collar, walking her on a leash, and making sure she's never lonely.

"Kids love having pets, but some kids need help learning the best pet care practices," says Executive Producer Dorothea Gillim. "Who better than Curious George to help kids learn this?"

Also airing that day is a special episode about germs. In "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye," Toots the blues-singing germ is back and the Man with the Yellow Hat has a cold. George chases Toots out of the Man but now the germ wants to spread to other people. Can George stop Toots before others catch his infectious tune?

"Learning to stay healthy and to keep pets healthy is a common theme of this episode" says Ellen Cockrill, Senior Vice President of Animation Production for Universal 1440 Entertainment. "We're also thrilled to be able to introduce young viewers to the valuable world of animal shelters."

Curious George airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings). For more monkey fun, visit Curious George's website at pbskids.org/curiousgeorge. The site has games, printables, and video clips to enrich kids' creativity and learning. For more information on shelter animals, visit The Humane Society of the United States at  www.hsus.org.