There are only a few days in a dog's year that really mean something. A dog's birthday has to be one of them, unless your family forgets to celebrate that day. I'm not sure if my birthday is a day that really means something to me or not yet - I've only had two, and my family forgot the first one . . . supposedly because of a blizzard. One remembrance out of two chances does not say "meaningful day." Christmas is fur sure (see what I did there?) a day to remember for dogs living in Christian homes, while Jewish dogs would probably count Hanukkah as one of theirs - who doesn't love celebrations and special gifts for everyone, including pets. Even I can count that time of the year on my list of great days. Other days for me include the first day it's possible to roll around in the warm grass once the ground loses its spring chill, the first big road trip of the year, and any day Dad is drinking while he cooks, because he's unusually generous with both intentional and accidental dropped morsels of goodness for me. I found out today, though, that this day - August 26th - is one of those days in my year that should really mean something. It's National Dog Day!!!
When I heard Mom and Dad discussing it this morning, I just knew this day would be filled with exciting things for me! "Didn't we already have that?" Mom asked. "Like back in March maybe?"
"No," Dad said. "Today's the day." He waited while Mom Googled to see who was right, while he and I shared a 'here comes Mom being wrong again' look.
"Hmm," she said, trying hard not to admit her error in National Dog Day judgment. "That was National Puppy Day - March 23rd. I was close."
Close, my foot! I'm not a puppy anymore! This is now MY day! A day for grown-up dogs like me. Now, what exactly does that mean?
After being proved wrong again, Mom didn't want to discuss National Dog Day with Dad any longer, so I was on my own to obtain a preview of all the excitement the day would bring. I grabbed my tablet and hopped up on the sofa to see what I could find out.
The first surprise? It's not just National Dog Day, it's International Dog Day! This is a worldwide celebration, people! Second link of value - Ways to Celebrate National Dog Day. I found lots of great suggestions and decided to share a few with Mom and Dad, because they didn't really seem like they had any idea what we were supposed to do. I made my way down the list, waiting to see if any of these great ideas I called out resonated with my human parents -
Donate to an animal shelter. (Dad - "I already pay too much for sheltering you.")
Adopt a dog (Mom - "Oooo, a pet sibling!" Dad - looks like he might be having a stroke)
Give your dog a special party (Gus - suggestion shouted. Mom - "Okaaay." Dad - evil stare)
Pet play dates (Mom - "Aw, too bad Maurice moved away!" Dad - "Maybe the neighborhood fox wants to play.")
Watch pet-themed movies (Mom - "That one has some real potential. Make it a maybe.") (suggestions thanks to a-z-animals.com)
A maybe is something I can live with. On to the next link - Where to Find Freebies for Fido on National Dog Day. Hmmm. I clicked with apprehension, since I am Gus not Fido, but it turns out these are free treats for all dogs! "Mom!" I shouted. "Is there a Starbucks around here?" She eyed me cautiously, not sure yet if she wanted to tell the truth or a fib. "If you take me there, I can get a free Puppuccino!" Before she could answer, I tossed out the next two. "Free dog ice cream at Bruster's and a free dog biscuit at Shake Shack!" (freebie list thanks to AARP.com)
"Uh, thankfully for Dad's sake, because I can see his blood pressure going up over there, there is no Bruster's or Shake Shack around here. And as for Starbuck's, if it's really free, that idea has potential."
Whew! Just a little bit of research and already two ideas with potential. I can see me now - watching a dog movie and sipping a Puppuccino! I decided to click the History of National Dog Day link and found out it was initiated back in 2004 by a saintly lady named Colleen Paige to raise awareness for the large number of dogs that require rescuing each year. She picked August 26th in honor of the day she adopted her very own dog, Sheltie, when she was ten. And genius that she is, she also started National Puppy Day, National Mutt Day, and National Cat Day! (circleallaccess.com) Wait - I'm technically a mutt, so does this mean I can add that day to my calendar of great days?! I must write December 2nd down on the family calendar for sure. Boy, I thought, there sure are a lot of special days! My curiosity on this topic got the better of me, so I diverted my research. Did you know there are over 1,500 national days? National Bloody Mary Day and National Hangover Day are - not surprisingly and just a bit coincidentally - on the same day - January 1st. January is also home to National Argyle Day, National Rubber Ducky Day, National Peanut Butter Day, and - ugh - National Squirrel Appreciation Day. There's a day I won't have on my calendar, but sign me up for some peanut butter freebies! And that is just a small sampling from January! Got something you like to eat or do? I'll bet there's a national day for it! You can check it out for yourself at nationaldaycalendar.com. Too much to do for this National Dog Day and too little time for me, so I had to move on.
I asked Mom when we were headed to Starbuck's, and she said after she helped Big Brother practice soccer, tossed in some laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, sorted some paperwork . . . I got tired listening to her list of to-dos and climbed up into my Big Joe beanbag. I closed my eyes and thought, Puppuccino or no Puppuccino, spending time taking a big nap is also a seriously good way to spend a special day. Mom must have known that, because as of publication time, I'm one walk, one blog post, and three naps into my National Dog Day celebrations, without a whiff of a car ride to anywhere or a free Puppuccino. When I brought that to Mom's attention, she did what Moms do - she gave me a hug and whispered, "I'll be sure you get a special dog treat tonight, Gus, while we snuggle up to watch some dog shows, ok?" Aw, heck. How can I hold a Puppuccino grudge with a sweet deal like that? Let's face it, International Bacon Day is only a week away, and that has some serious potential!
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