Happy International Puppy Day!

National Puppy Day was established by animal rights activist and author Colleen Paige in 2006 in an effort to not only celebrate the unconditional love puppies bring to our lives, but to also educate the public about the horrors of the puppy mill and pet shop industry.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are approximately 10,000 puppy mills throughout the U.S. Dogs born into puppy mill conditions are usually malnourished; unvaccinated; living in cramped, unclean kennels; and rarely see medical professionals before being sold. Puppy mill puppies are also often taken away from their mothers too soon and before they are able to be weaned and socialized, resulting in bad behaviors that lead many parents to abandon their dogs at the shelter. In the puppy mill industry, profit is prioritized over the wellbeing of the animals involved.

The spirit behind National Puppy Day is “Adopt. Don’t shop,” driving home the importance of rescuing orphaned puppies and dogs before buying a dog from a pet store. The ultimate goal of National Puppy Day and its founder is to see an end to puppy mills once and for all. No matter your current situation or circumstances, there are a ton of ways you can get involved in the fight against puppy mills and celebrate just how awesome rescue pups are on National Puppy Day. Here are a few suggestions on how to get festive.

Adopt. Don’t shop.
As mentioned, National Puppy Day was established to encourage people to adopt puppies from shelters or rescue organizations rather than purchase puppies from pet stores that likely source from puppy mills. But only adopt if you and your family are absolutely ready for the long-term commitment. Do your research ahead of time, get in touch with local rescue organizations like the Helen Woodward Animal Center and save the life of a pup in need.

Sign up to be a foster.
If you’re unable to make a long-term commitment, signing up to be a foster parent to a pup in need is also a noble undertaking. Fostering a puppy is the act of bringing the puppy into your home to help socialize, train and comfort him before he finds his forever home. You can contact your local shelter or rescue organization to begin the vetting process for their foster program. It’s important to remember that being a foster comes with all the responsibilities of being a puppy parent — the only difference is that your house will only be a temporary home before his final adoption. Some rescues like The Animal Pad provide all supplies needed while you foster and cover all the vet costs. This means you get all the benefits of having a dog, without spending a dime.

Volunteer.
Another fun way to get involved in the caretaking of rescue puppies is volunteering at your local shelter or rescue. Oftentimes these organizations need all the help they can get to keep their pups fed, clean and happy. You may also be able to volunteer your time virtually by helping organizations manage their social media accounts, organize adoption applications or even respond to emails, so be sure to ask if there are any at-home volunteer positions available.

Donate to local shelters.
Whether its a monetary or tangible donation like beds, blankets, puppy pads, food, toys — anything helps! Even donations as little as $1 are appreciated greatly. Donate yourself or host a donation drive for your local rescue or shelter.

Show us your puppies!
Puppy Day is a great opportunity to show the world just how much you love and appreciate your own puppy as well as value the lives of puppies who may be less fortunate than yours. We would love to see pictures of your own puppies or puppies you have sat for or fostered. Here is a picture of my dog with the last puppy I fostered from The Animal Pad. Our very own @Angela_L was with The Animal Pad in Mexico on the day they found and rescued this sweet pups mom. You can read more about that story HERE.

Happy International Puppy Day!

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My daughter’s gorgeous 4 month dachsie Gus!

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@Therese Oh my goodness! What a cutie Gus is :dog::smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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@Julie_A What a great post :dog: :blush: We will definitely be asking you for tips when we next foster.

Here is our first (and only one so far as we are currently pet-sitting) foster dog Misty-Moo.

This is her after her first professional bath and nail trim.

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Aw Gus is absolutely adorable @Therese :heart_eyes:

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What a cutie @Carla!!! Thank you for helping her. Fostering is such a rewarding experience :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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@Julie_A Thank you for a very informative and enlightening post helping to create awareness about the incredibly important message behind National Puppy Day focussing on adopting and fostering, doing research when thinking of bringing a pet family member home and not buying any animal online which supported by research from animal welfare orgs., helps fuel puppy mills and back street breeders.

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