National Dog Week: Learn the History and Fun Ways to Celebrate in 2024

If there were ever a more appropriate time to celebrate your beloved pup, it's definitely during National Dog Week, which happens every year in September! And while you might have heard of the week before, you might be wondering what it's all about and how it got started. Let's take a closer look!

What (and When) Is National Dog Week?

National Dog Week is an annual celebration dedicated to honoring dogs and promoting responsible pet parenting. It takes place every year during the last full week of September, so in 2024, it will be observed from September 24 to September 30.

Purpose and History

The week was first established in 1928 by Captain William Judy, a World War I veteran and canine advocate, who aimed to improve the lives of dogs and educate people about proper care. Keep in mind, this was a revolutionary thought in the 1920s. Many people at the time considered animals to be soulless beasts, but Captain Judy knew better.

He founded National Dog Week to express gratitude for the loyalty of dogs and to encourage better treatment. Judy knew what many of us now know, which is that dogs are empathy machines and they help us become better humans. Therefore, the celebration serves several objectives:

• Promoting Adoption: Raising awareness about dogs in shelters that need homes.
  

• Education: Teaching dog parents about responsible pet care.

• Advocacy: Supporting better living conditions for dogs and promoting humane treatment.

How to Celebrate National Dog Week

There are obviously hundreds of ways your can celebrate your dog. You know them best, so you know the things to which they'd best respond. However, maybe you're short on ideas. Or, maybe you're not a dog parent and are thinking about changing that. Whatever your situation, what follows are ten suggestions for celebrating National Dog Week.

1. Take Your Dog on a Hike

For those of us who walk our dogs, let's be honest. We usually have one or two routes we favor and tend to stick to those. For National Dog Week, why don't you take your dog on a local hike? Get them (and yourself!) out in nature with the bees, birds, rivers, and trees. Maybe there's a hike ending in a waterfall or spectacular view so you both benefit.

2. Take Your Dog on a Walk in a New Neighborhood

OK, so not everybody is up for the hiking life. Fair enough. Then fire up Google Maps and find a new neighborhood for you and your dog to explore. I once read that when your dog is on a walk, it's like his TikTok or Instagram. He's smelling the scent of all the neighborhood dogs and he's learning who's happy, who's stressed, who's eating well, and who's hangry. Why would you deny your dog the opportunity to check out the hot gossip in a brand new neighborhood?

3. Walk Someone Else's Dog

Instead of your own dog, why don't you volunteer to walk someone else's dog? Maybe it's a friend or family member who could use a break or perhaps a neighbor with mobility issues. Whatever the case, you volunteering your services for another person (and puppy!) puts you in hero territory. Feel good about earning some karma points.

4. Have a Photoshoot With Your Dog

Show your doggie how much you love them by having a formal photoshoot. This is perfect for Instagram, but who wouldn't love receiving these as Christmas cards? Take it to the next level by getting double exposure portrait photos done in the cheesy, '70s/'80s school photo style a la Stepbrothers.

5. Buy New Toys and Treats

It's always the season to buy your dogs new toys and treats, but National Dog Week is a no brainer. My dog Cyndee's favorite plushie is a lamb missing an eye, an ear, and quite a bit of stuffing. I'm going to give her a new plushie, but you know how dogs are. She'll probably play with it for 30 seconds and then go back to obsessing over Lamby.

My other dog Archie is obsessed with bouncy balls. Throw those suckers against a wall and he'll chase them for awhile until tuckering out. When Amazon ships a new set of balls, he can smell them on the porch from inside the house, so he starts running back and forth! He's easy to shop for.

You know what your dog likes. Indulge them!

6. Spa Day!

Speaking of which, SPA DAY Y'ALL!!! OK, so this is probably a little more for you than it is for them. Your dog may, in fact, resent you for cleaning the backyard smell off of them. But, we do it because it's good hygiene and love them clean and refreshed. And don't let them fool you. You know they secretly love having their success perms.

7. Sponsor a Dog

We can all agree that shelter dogs who can't find homes break our hearts into a million pieces. There is actually a way you can help. Several animal welfare organizations offer sponsorship programs where you can pay for a dog's upkeep while they wait for their forever homes.

Start with Canine Companions, Soi Dog Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, Paws for Life, and Villalobos Rescue Center, but there are probably organizations near where you live. You might be surprised how close you live to a sponsorship dog.

8. Volunteer at Animal Shelter

Volunteering at an animal shelter is an excellent way to contribute to the welfare of all animals in need, especially dogs. Identify animal shelters or rescue organizations in your area. Consider their missions, types of animals they care for, and their specific volunteer needs.

Shelters offer various roles: walking dogs, assisting with adoptions, focusing on socialization, and even administrative tasks. There tends to be a minimum age to volunteer (usually around 14) and they ask that you commit to a certain number of hours. But, this is certainly a rewarding way to celebrate National Dog Week.

9. Donate to an Organization

Many local animal shelters and rescue organizations rely heavily on donations. They often need supplies such as food, toys, bedding, and cleaning materials, so call around to local shelters for their wish list of needed items.

Similarly, online platforms like CUDDLY allow you to donate directly to the needs of various rescues by selecting items from their wish lists . This ensures your contributions go directly to what the animals need most.

You might also consider joining monthly giving programs offered by larger organizations like the ASPCA or Best Friends Animal Society, which provide ongoing support for animal welfare initiatives.

10. Adopt a Rescue or Shelter Dog

Finally, there's no better way to not only celebrate dogs, but to fulfill Captain William Judy's original mission for National Dog Week than by giving a pooch a forever home. It doesn't have to be a puppy. In fact, an older dog might need adopting more than a puppy, which can leverage its cuteness on a moment's notice.

Whatever you decide, please make sure you're fully committed to caring for your new dog. This includes space requirements (do you have a yard?), medical responsibilities (you're going to need a vet), lifestyle compatibility (will you be away from home a lot?), and family dynamics (do you have other pets?).

But rest assured, once you adopt a puppy, your life and their life will never be the same.

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