Overview:
August 26th is National Dog Day. Founded in 2004, this day holds a lot of significance for our four-legged friends. However, why was National Dog Day created, and what contributions have dogs made to warrant such a designation.
The dog days of summer may be over. However, dog days never end. Today is National Dog Day.
According to nationaldogday.com, “National Dog Day was founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, a pet and family life expert, animal rescue expert, conservationist, dog trainer, and author.” Why is it celebrated on August 26? As nationaldogday.com reveals, this was “the date that Colleen’s family adopted her first dog, “Sheltie,” from the local animal shelter, when Colleen was 10 years old.”
National Dog Day was created to promote the adoption of shelter animals and raise awareness about animal abuse. It also honors dogs’ contributions. I think it would be good to look at all these different aspects, as well as the overall benefits of owning a dog.
Benefits of Adopting a Dog
Adopting a dog from a shelter not only provides benefits for it, but it can also provide benefits for you. As we celebrate National Dog Day today, let’s remember the importance of giving a dog a good home. They deserve it.
Sense of Joy
People can feel a great sense of joy when they provide a home for an animal in need. According to an online article published by the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine on October 9, 2023, titled “Giving a Second Chance: The Importance of Adopting from an Animal Shelter,” “The bond that forms between a shelter pet and its adopter is truly special and brings immense joy and happiness to both parties.” When a person provides a home for a dog that needs it, that K-9 can arguably sense that they are helping it during its time of need. Therefore, the dog may show their appreciation. Conversely, the new owner of the dog feels good inside as they realize the good deed that they have done.
Matchless Friendship
One thing to remember is that many of the types of dogs that have been contained in shelters often come from questionable backgrounds. They may have been abused or had neglectful owners. It’s arguable that when these types of dogs realize the kindness that is being bestowed on them, they generally return the favor. It amounts to a matchless friendship that can last until either the dog or the owner dies.
Less Care
Let’s face it, although we love them like there’s no tomorrow, taking care of puppies is like taking care of little babies: it’s a lot of work. Like how you must change a baby’s diapers and then potty train them when they’re a toddler, you must house train little puppies. That means you must get up in the middle of the night sometimes so they can use the bathroom. However, most dogs that you adopt from an animal shelter are way past this stage. As the online article “Giving a Second Chance: The Importance of Adopting from an Animal Shelter” reveals, “Skip the demanding and time-consuming puppy or kitten stage.”
Raising Awareness of Animal Abuse
People need to be made aware of animal abuse. As mentioned, many of the dogs that have been rescued from shelters often have a horrific background. Unfortunately, though, animal abuse is something that is arguably misrepresented.
An online article from the Arizona State University (ASU) Center for Problem-Oriented Publishing titled “Responses to the Problem of Animal Cruelty” talks about how a lot of the media coverage surrounding animal abuse is often of an extreme nature. This may mislead the public a little. The article continues explaining how, even though these cases are serious and should not be ignored, some of the less extreme cases, which are just as unacceptable, should also be highlighted.
There is a difference between animal abuse and neglect. Animal abuse entails people forcibly harming an animal via means of physical or mental mistreatment. When a dog, or any animal for that matter, is neglected, they are generally malnourished and full of untreated infections.
Overall Benefits of Owning a Dog
- Dogs are Companions
Arguably, one of the things that has been heavily stressed about dogs over the years is how great companions they are. That’s because this is so true. Most well-trained dogs tend to be very loyal to their owners and stick to people’s sides, no matter what.
- Dogs can be Good for Children
Certain types of dogs can be great playmates for children. The online article from Michigan State University’s website titled “The benefits of a family pet,” written by Tracy Trautner (Michigan State University Extension), which was published on December 14, 2017, stated, “One of the major reasons, and an important life skill, for owning a pet is to teach responsibility.” Children can learn responsibility by feeding their dogs and taking them out on walks when needed.
Contributions of Dogs to Society
Military, Law Enforcement, Fire Departments
A dog’s sense of smell can take them a long way, especially when it comes to helping the military and law enforcement. Due to many dogs’ unique ability to detect things that humans cannot, they are of great assistance to military personnel in detecting explosives. They use this same trait to help law enforcement in detecting traces of illegal narcotics or even the scent of a person.
When it comes to fire departments, there’s the age-old adage of the Dalmatian dog breed protecting the fire station. However, some fire departments nowadays have therapy dogs providing emotional support for firefighters and first responders. They can also be applied to the military. In addition to helping military personnel, certain types of dogs can help war veterans suffering from PTSD. These are considered service dogs. In the article titled “Service Dogs for Veterans and Military Members with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,” which was published in JAMA Network Open, a study revealed that military veterans with service dogs were “associated with lower PTSD symptom severity and better psychosocial functioning for U.S. military members and veterans” compared to those with regular care.
Service Dogs
In addition to providing therapy for war veterans and fire victims, service dogs can also help those who are physically handicapped. Certain types of dogs are highly trained to assist those who may have limited movement or visual impairment. Service dogs have also been shown to help people with autism, including children. A study shown in the article titled “The effects of service dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers: a cross-sectional study,” which was published in the Frontiers in Psychiatry Journal, “indicated that a service dog was associated with significantly better child sleep behaviors, including better sleep initiation and duration, and less sleep anxiety.”
Let’s all Celebrate National Dog Day
Dogs have proven themselves to the world in a variety of ways. They’ve shown us that they can not only be companions but also help some of society’s essential services. Additionally, they assist people in need. Colleen Paige had a good reason for creating National Dog Day. There are many of our four-legged friends in shelters that need good homes. Also, the abuse of dogs needs to be properly addressed. On this National Dog Day, let’s also remember that dogs are companions like no other.
References
https://www.nationaldogday.com/about1
https://vetmed.vt.edu/news/2023/adopting-from-animal-shelters.html
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819452#google_vignette
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1355970/full
