It’s the National Dog Day everyone! No, it’s not an official holiday, in case you wondered. It was started in 2004 by Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert Colleen Paige to recognize the role of dogs in our lives, as protectors, companions, helpers, and rescuers. It also aims to raise awareness about dogs that need rescuing.
Let’s then, in the spirit of the National Dog Day, enjoy these 10 dog pictures, each captivating in its own right.
It is not quite certain how many dogs there are in the United States. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimated about 70 million dogs were owned in the country in its 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook.
Every year, almost 4 million dogs end up in shelters, according to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. More than a million of them are put down.
“All a dog wants to do is love and protect you. That’s all,” Colleen Paige states on her website. “Dogs are amazing, courageous, sensitive, and sentient beings that deserve compassion and respect.”
In almost third of the cases where owners give up a dog, it is because their place doesn’t allow them to keep a dog. Perhaps they moved to a new apartment and the landlord doesn’t want dogs. Or perhaps this is just the most convenient reason people are comfortable giving to surveyers. One in 10 dogs is given up because the owner has a problem with the pet’s behavior.
It costs about $1,300 a year to have a dog, according to Statista.com. So, if you’re up to it, perhaps use today’s occasion to adopt a dog, or donate to a shelter, or at least pet one.
