Today is National Dog Day, although it would be more appropriate now to call it International Dog Day, and it’s a day set aside just to recognize the contributions that dogs make to our lives. Dogs have been domesticated for over 14,000 years, so it’s not surprising that many people are very attached to their dogs (I know I sure am!). And dogs contribute a lot to our lives. Many dogs have jobs that help to make life easier and safer for us. For example, dogs in both law enforcement and the military put their lives on the line every day to help people. Dogs can also provide critical assistance to people with disabilities as guide dogs or other types of service dogs. And dogs can be trained to recognize disease states such as high or low glucose levels in diabetics, seizure precursors in epileptics, and some can even sniff out certain types of cancer. Dogs also work for us by herding livestock, detecting bed bugs in public places, retrieving birds for hunters, and the list goes on and on.

Even if your best friend has no specialized training, dogs enrich our lives by providing companionship when we are lonely and affection when we are sad or upset. It is well documented that people who have dogs tend to have lower blood pressure, are thinner, and get more exercise. Many of us sleep with our dogs, eat with our dogs, and even take our dogs to work with us. Workplaces that include dogs tend to be more calm and relaxed and also more productive. So I’m sure you can understand why dogs have become so important to people over the years.

National Dog Day was first officially celebrated in 2004. The tradition was started by Colleen Paige who is a pet and family lifestyle expert. It was started to remind people of all the homeless dogs that are waiting for adoption in shelters and rescues across the United States, and to allow current dog families to celebrate their canine members. By 2013 it had become an international event celebrated around the world. Since National Dog Day began in 2004 over 1 million dogs have been adopted from shelters and rescue organizations in celebration of this event. But if you aren’t looking to add a new member to your family today, you can still celebrate. Give your canine companion(s) some extra love, some special treats or food, or a longer walk. They will thank you for it. Have a great National Dog Day!!!

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