National Pet Day

Today is National Pet Day!

This day is about celebrating pets. Pets of all kinds. Dogs, cats, fish, bunnies, even gators. Yes, I would not be surprised if there are people who own pet gators. I can imagine that's especially a thing down in Florida, ha ha!

National Pet Day was created in 2006 by Colleen Paige. An animal welfare advocate, she came up with this day as a way to celebrate the joy and health benefits of owning pets. It's widely believed that pet ownership has positive effects on health, both mental and physical for humans. There have been studies that suggest that there may be some truth to that statement, like here and here.

Paige also created this day to raise awareness of the many pets in shelters looking to be adopted. And there are a lot of them. About 6.5 million pets come to shelters every year, according to the ASPCA. There are a lot of animals out there needing just a little bit of love. Adopting a pet would bring joy and love into a home. Pet owning can be hard work, but it worth it for the love and companionship it provides.

Pet ownership is an old tradition that crosses boundaries and cultures. It's believed that dogs were the first animals that humans managed to domesticate around 30,000 BC. In Ancient Egypt, beloved cats were mummified. In China, the rich would keep dogs and birds. Loving and being loved by an animal is a truly universal thing.   

So give your pets a little bit of extra love today! If you wish to adopt, go to your local shelter. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!