How To Celebrate Your Dog On National Dog Day
7 Ways To Celebrate Your Dog On National Dog Day
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Aug. 26 is National Dog Day, a day to honor and celebrate our four-legged family members that make life so much more tolerable – not to mention more playful and definitely cuter. For those questioning if dogs should even have their own national holiday, let’s allow the facts to speak for themselves. The American Heart Association reports that dogs can help a person healing from a cardiac event. So while dogs figuratively melt our hearts, they can also literally save them. A study out of the University of Warwick’s Psychology Department found that dogs can also improve mood and help ease anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology published a study showing that even small interactions with dogs releases oxytocin, the magical hormone that fights pain and relieves stress.
It’s becoming pretty obvious that dogs should probably have more than one yearly holiday, don’t you think? Luckily, you’re free to celebrate yours every single day. If you are looking for special ways to acknowledge National Dog Day, MADAMENOIRE suggests a handful of great ones below.
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Do a photoshoot
If every member of the family has a professional portrait, so too should your doggy. Or maybe you want to bring the entire family in with the dog for a professional portrait session. You can do a traditional portrait in the studio with everyone sitting together, or you can hire a photographer to meet you and your pet at a favorite spot to stage a candid photo shoot. You can make it themed based on something your dog loves. Maybe you can do a photo shoot at the dog park with Fido and his best friends. Put it in a high-end frame and put it in a central place in the home.
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Plan a doggy party
If your dog has a best friend or several besties, he probably wishes he could see them more. Call up their parents and organize a fun play date. If someone has a yard to host, that’s a great spot. Otherwise, everyone can meet at a park or beach. If you really want to treat your dog, you can go on an overnight getaway to a dog-friendly hotel with your pet’s best friend and owner. Your pup probably has a dog he’s probably always excited to see, but doesn’t see enough. He should get to see his bestie on National Dog Day.
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Take her on a shopping spree
Take your dog on a shopping spree. Bring her to the best pet supplies store in town, grab a big basket, and follow her around the store. See what she’s interested in. Offer her several toys and buy the ones that get her the most excited. If the pet store has a treat buffet with big bins of self-serve items, let your dog sample several of them. See which ones she loves most and bring home a big batch. Just like you treat yourself on your birthday or holidays, your pup deserves to be treated to a little retail therapy on National Dog Day.
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Go to a dog-friendly café
Many cities have dog-friendly cafes with massive patios or enclosed outdoor spaces with dog beds and dog bowls. Take your dog out to lunch. Some places even have doggy menus with a few special items for your four-legged friend. You can also organize a doggy lunch with some of your pet’s favorite friends and their owners. Your often stays at home when you dine out, so find a restaurant that caters to furry companions and bring your pup along for a gourmet meal. Maybe gourmet just means a BBQ place with outdoor picnic tables where your dog can get bites of your steak. You dog won’t mind that one bit.
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Take him to his favorite park or beach
So often, dogs only get to tag along where we want to go. They spend the rest of their time in our homes. They don’t get to visit many different locations and they rarely get to choose the destination. But imagine how sad it would be if you only got to visit a handful of places in your life, or if you rarely got to visit a favorite place. National Dog Day should be a day when you take your dog to the places where she springs to life, like a doggy beach, a park or a nature hike. You know the places that make your dog really activate. He deserves to go there on National Dog Day.
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Get a doggy ice cream or baked treat
Many ice cream shops offer something like a “pup cup” which is a little cup of dog-safe ice cream. You can add dog-safe toppings like apple, blueberries, or peanut butter. You’ll want to get your camera ready to film it when your dog licks up his pup cup and gets some ice cream on his snout. You can also look up a doggy bakery. Many cities have bakeries dedicated entirely to making gourmet dog treats. It’s a special occasion – our dogs should have something beyond the usual generic dog treats. Your local dog bakery is likely running specials for National Dog Day.
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Make her dinner
Every night of her life, your eats dog food. But always wants your food, doesn’t she? So maybe tonight, make her a “human” dinner. Think of her favorite dog-safe human foods. Some may include sweet potatoes, white fish, turkey, chicken, beef, and carrots. You can make her a human dinner with a protein and a couple of sides. She’ll be so excited that she gets a full plate of people food, all to herself. Don’t forget dessert! Dogs can have mild unsweetened yogurt with blueberries and cinnamon.
