Celebrate National Love Your Pet Day: Share Your Love of Dogs Daily
by Lynn Stacy-Smith
Today is National Love Your Pet Day. I can safely assume that anyone reading this blog is going to say along with me, “But that’s every day, or at least it should be!”
As a lifelong dog lover, most of my friends are also dog lovers who share not only my love of dogs, but also my commitment to my dogs. We are there for each other when we have fun with our dogs, when we worry about our dogs, when we have to say goodbye to a dog who has gone to the Rainbow Bridge.
Dog lovers understand each other. In fact, my cat owner friends also understand; they may not share the same obsession with dogs but they understand what it is to be best friends with an entirely other species. They all understand that my dogs are not “just dogs” and I understand that their cats are not “just cats.”
Although most of the people in my life are animal lovers, I have a handful of friends who just are not into having a dog or a cat or any sort of pet. They don’t oooh and ahhh at my photos, they don’t understand how I am best friends with dogs, they aren’t interested in affectionate welcomes by my dogs when they come over and they probably think I’m their slightly crazy dog lady friend. Well, “slightly” might be an understatement.
I admire them for knowing how they feel and for not bringing a dog or cat into their life despite periodic requests from their spouse or children to have an animal in their home. I respect that they understand that they will be the one caring for the dog or cat and that it would not be fair to the animal if they were to get one without being as passionate about being a pet owner as a pet owner should be.
I would estimate that 99% of what I share on social media revolves around dogs, whether it’s available dogs who need a forever home, articles about dog care, my own blogs and posts from my Love, Laugh, Woof page, or pictures of Jackson and Tinkerbell. Their photos make up the majority of my posts. I always assume that my non-dog loving friends just scroll on past those photos, but over the last year or so I have had not one but two of them give me the same compliment.
“Your love for your dogs has made me understand why people love their pets so much.”
What an amazing thing to hear!
Two different friends who do not know each other said those exact words. I consider that the ultimate compliment, the ultimate success that I am making an impact by helping change the minds and hearts of those who do not feel the same as I do about our beloved dogs.
So how can this help you celebrate National Love Your Pet Day? It means that you, too, can make a difference simply by sharing the love you have for your pets with all of your friends, dog lovers and non-dog lovers. Whether it’s you and your dog on an adventure or a photo of them sleeping, people are listening to what you have to say.
Share the reasons why a simple photo of your dog napping fills your heart with so much love. In fact, share not just the love you have for your dogs but the whole Love, Laugh, Woof philosophy!
Share the laughter you have with your dog, the laughter you enjoy because of your dog. When you illustrate through your own experiences that dogs are downright funny creatures with a sense of humor, you can help open the minds of people who have never experienced that, never considered that dogs are funny or how human laughter is one of the happiest sounds your dog can hear.
Share the woof of Love, Laugh, Woof by sharing what it must be like to be a dog in a human world. Share the photos of the terrified dog in the shelter who is confused and heartbroken and explain how dogs feel emotional pain and fear just like us.
Share your stories of training your dog and teaching her how to be a dog in a human world, share how special it is to have that interspecies friendship where we communicate without words, and love each other so much despite our differences. Many people who do not live with dogs do not understand how special this is or that it’s not always easy for dogs to acclimate to our lives and homes.
You may not turn everyone on your friends list into a dog lover or a dog owner, and that’s ok, because not everyone should be a dog owner. Helping even one person understand why we love our dogs so much, why dogs are considered sentient beings with real feelings and emotions, is one more step in the right direction of creating a more humane environment for all dogs.