Celebrate National Rescue Dog Day Every May 20
U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rey Ramon
They say every dog has its day. And on May 20 rescue dogs finally get their day. National Rescue Dog Day raises awareness of the millions of dogs that enter shelters every year.
These dogs then wait patiently for their furever homes. Every one of them deserves a safe, loving family to cuddle & play with. Sadly, not all of them find one.
Tails That Teach founded this new day to raise awareness of rescue dogs and encourage adoption. So hopefully one day every rescued dog will get his or her happily ever after.
Why Rescue Dogs?
Why not rescue dogs?
Surely you’ve heard “adopt don’t shop” or some variation of this phrase.
And it’s so very true. Rescue dogs come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and breeds. If you’re looking to add a new canine family member, there’s one that’s just perfect for you waiting in a shelter right now.
Many of these dogs have been abandoned and/or abused. They may be scared at the shelter. But they blossom once they’re in a home.
And that home could be yours. You newest family member will thank you with a lifetime of love and kisses.
Rescue dogs can be trained just like any other, too. Plenty of rescued dogs have been trained as service or emotional support animals, and even K9 officers! They do their jobs just as well as any non-rescue trained dog.
Who is Tails That Teach?
Lisa Wiehebrink—a mom, author, and animal lover—founded Tails That Teach “to inspire and encourage children to be kind to all living things.”
That’s the message in her two books too.
Tails That Teach sponsors several programs to help kids and animals.
Under the Happy Tails Shelter Book Donation Program, adopters at shelters/rescues across the country get a free copy of Lisa’s 1st book.
The Happy Tails Shelter Reading Program lets kids read to shelter dogs.
And the Tails for Kids program brings the Tails That Teach book series into schools to help kids build self-esteem, grow emotionally, and grow up to make the world a better place.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial holiday.
Ideas for Celebrating National Rescue Dog Day
There’s no better way to celebrate this day than by helping rescue dogs!
How can you—just one person—possibly help? Oh, so many ways!
Spread the Word
Many people still don’t realize how wonderful rescue dogs can be. And this day is new, so talk to friends, family, and coworkers … about the dogs and this day!
Tag your social media posts with #NationalRescueDogDay
And share this page!
Adopt
If you can, give a rescue dog a place in your heart and home.
Foster
Can’t make a long-term commitment to a dog? Consider a short-term commitment instead. Fostering is usually a few weeks or months, depending on the situation.
Sick or injured dogs often heal better in a home, away from the stress and noise of a shelter. Scared animals or those with special needs can also be overwhelmed in a shelter, so they get overlooked by potential adopters.
Whatever the reason, fostering can increase the chances a deserving dog finds a furever family.
Donate/Volunteer
If you can’t bring a dog into your home, even for a short time, there’s still ways to help them.
Shelters and rescue organizations are constantly short on both funds and volunteers. Donate your time and/or money to a local organization so it can keep helping the dogs.
Dogs need walks, playtime, grooming, etc. When there’s not enough volunteers, many dogs go days without much attention at all. :(
Most rescues/shelters also welcome donations of supplies. In fact, they often have a wishlist on their websites and/or Amazon.
Speaking of Amazon, do you use Amazon Smile? When you shop through this website, Amazon donates a portion of the purchase price to the charity you choose. If you’re not already doing this, why not see if your favorite animal-related charity is participating? And if it’s not, contact it to see if it’s interested in signing up.
Paw it Forward
Help Tails That Teach donate books to schools and animal shelters.
Do you have more ideas for celebrating National Rescue Dog Day? Let us know!
[…] National Rescue Dog Day: Too many dogs end up in shelters ever year. Millions of them! This day raises awareness of this sad fact and asks us to help them however we can. […]