What is International Dog Day? Plus, Guide Dog Day
🎉International Dog Day celebration
Have you heard of “International/National Dog Day”?
In 2004, a dog trainer, Colleen Paige marked August 26th as the day to celebrate our canine companions. Unlike International Cat Day, which was created by the British animal welfare organization, National Dog Day was named by an individual and is gaining recognition worldwide. The purpose of the day is to promote dog adoptions and remind us to appreciate dogs of all sizes, ages, and breeds. Given how much dogs contribute to our society, they deserve more recognition and better care.
🎂Dog appreciation ideas
How can we celebrate this day? There is no specific theme, but I intend to learn more about different breeds of dogs. You can celebrate by taking your furry friend to their favorite park, treating them to a Puppuccino, walking shelter dogs, donating to a dog rescue charity, or simply enjoying your favorite dog movie.
🐕Service dog awareness
When I think about dogs, guide dogs come to mind first. One of the reasons for this is that my eye doctor raises funds for a guide dog center. Prior to this, I had no idea about the extensive training that guide dogs go through. It is a tremendously challenging process, taking about two years and costing over $45,000 to train just one dog. Even with this dedication, not every dog can pass the certification exams due to medical conditions and other complications. Moreover, guide dogs are so committed to their work that they rarely take breaks. Unless someone else takes the guide dog for a walk just for fun, they remain alert and ready to assist their people 24/7.
💖International Guide Dog Day
On this note, International Guide Dog Day takes place on the last Wednesday of April every year, ever since the founder of this guide dog day, the International Guide Dog Federation, was established in 1989. It aims to provide better training across the world and increase the independence of people who are blind. At this point, I don’t know how to alleviate the responsibilities put on those service dogs and the people around them, but I hope to find out more in the coming week.