Ever wish there was a holiday just for celebrating your pets? There is! National Love Your Pet Day is a holiday just for loving the fluff out of your furry friends and spreading awareness about animal rescue, too.
Check out our ultimate guide for celebrating National Love Your Pet Day, including how to celebrate it and how to pamper your special pup on this fabulous holiday!
What is National Love Your Pet Day?
Did you know that most households in the United States have pets? While dogs are the most popular furry fellow you’ll find at home, cats come in a close second. There are tons of other animals that make great pets too. National Love Your Pet Day is a holiday that celebrates pets of all kinds. Dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses… any and every pet is welcome! The holiday itself is a fantastic time to dedicate to the animals in your life.
Source: Andrew S - Unsplash
However, the holiday isn’t just for celebrating your furry friends– it’s for advocating animal adoption too. National Love Your Pet Day is the perfect time for shelters to advocate animal adoption.
When is National Love Your Pet Day?
National Love Your Pet Day occurs every year on February 20th. It’s like Valentine’s Day for your pets!
There’s also a National Pet Day that occurs each year on April 11th.
The History of National Love Your Pet Day
Pets have existed for millennia. What started as faithful wolves and cats domesticating themselves has now blossomed into a beautiful, loving relationship between animals and their humans. Although they aren’t always working as hunters or guard dogs, our pets still play an important role in our lives– they provide love and companionship as members of our families!
While we don’t really know when the February 20th version of the holiday was developed, we do know how April’s National Pet Day came to be. In 2006, pet-lover Colleen Paige launched an initiative to celebrate the pets in our lives and all they do for us. Her holiday quickly caught on among animal rescue advocates too, and the holiday is currently used to celebrate and advocate for animal rescue groups alongside our furry friends.
How to Celebrate National Love Your Pet Day
So, how can we celebrate National Love Your Pet Day with our pups? Here are three great ideas for observing the holiday:
Volunteer at a Shelter
One of the core aspects of National Love Your Pet Day (and National Pet Day) is supporting adoption and animal rescue. Volunteering at a local animal shelter and donating time, toys, food, and other goodies is a great way to spend National Love Your Pet Day helping other animals needing a home.
Some shelters also offer trap-neuter-return courses and other trapping courses to get stray animals off the street. If you have the time, we highly recommend investing your time in a TNR course to help keep outdoor animal populations safe!
Spread Awareness
If you’re not able to volunteer, that’s okay! Spreading awareness about the holiday and the benefits of adopting animals is another great way to observe National Love Your Pet Day. If you’ve got a rescue of your own, share their story on social media– everyone loves cute animal pictures, and you might just convince someone to adopt instead of going to a breeder.
Pamper the Fur Baby in Your Life
If you haven’t already, take some time on National Love Your Pet Day to celebrate your special pupper. Extra walkies, time at the dog park, a trip in the car, and extra-special treats are all excellent ways to show your doggo that you care. Plus, we’ve got you covered in the treat department! Check out these awesome goodies you can share with your dog this holiday season:
Doggie Delights
Gourmet, artisan cookies aren’t just for fancy people– we bring them to pets, too! Our Doggie Delights packs feature an assortment of artisan cookies, including macarons, wafer cookies, and flower cookies that are completely safe for dogs to eat. Enjoy a puppy tea party with these gorgeous spring-themed treats!
Get Some Cookies!
For fans of the classic cookie, we’ve got you covered too– our bakery makes fresh cookies every day for the bakery case, meaning we’ve got plenty of cookies around for you to grab a few handfuls! Our assortment packs come with a random set of cookies from our bakery case. If your pup has allergies, let us know, and we’ll be sure to pick out treats that are safe for their allergies!
Stay Allergy-Free
If we’re spreading pet awareness on National Love Your Pet Day, let’s spread some allergy awareness too! Just like us, dogs can have food allergies. That’s why we make special treats free of common allergens for your dog to enjoy! On our website, you can find categories for grain and wheat-free, nut-free, and yogurt-free treats.
For extra reference, all our meat and rawhide treats are free of the most common allergens. If you’re looking for something baked, our wheat-free bone treats are perfect for you!
Want to See some Awesome Pets? Check out These Dogs!
Looking for some pets to share with your friends and family? Check out these fantastic dogs while you’re at it!
Tuna The Chiweenie
Tuna is a senior Chiweenie with a bit of an overbite. His awkward looks make for hilarious pictures, and his human, Courtney, loves to share his shenanigans with the world! Tuna is currently working as an advocate for rescue dogs and dogs with special needs everywhere.
Norbert (the Author)
An author, philanthropist, and registered therapy dog, Norbert has his paws full of important work. But that doesn’t mean he can’t take a break every now and then! You can find Norbert enjoying his free time with his human, Julie, on their Instagram!
Kabosu, an Internet Legend
If you’ve been on the internet since 2010, you’ve probably heard of doge. Doge’s actual name is Kabosu! She’s a 17-year-old shiba inu who lives with her human and three rescue cats in Japan. Kabosu’s been through a lot– after surviving leukemia in 2022, she’s enjoying a happy retirement and beautiful cherry blossoms with her mama.
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Rocky Kanaka
Rocky Kanaka is an entrepreneur, pet rescue advocate and dog dad to a rescue boxer named Flip, a blind Cane Corso called Kobe, and a terrier mix named Zoey. He's also a pet chef and owner of The Dog Bakery, which specializes in
dog birthday cakes and fresh baked dog treats. His three dogs can't get enough of the dog cakes and treats!
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Lorna Ladd
Lorna Paxton Ladd is a passionate dog lover and enthusiast of The Dog Bakery. She loves spoiling her 3 rescue dogs with
dog cakes and jerky. A 15 year veteran in the pet industry, her aim is to educate pet parents on the best recipes, products, tips and tricks to optimize the human/canine bond. Her favorite product at The Dog Bakery are the customizable dog birthday cakes.
