Hey, fellow pet lovers!
Today’s post is all about National Mutt Day which takes place twice a year on the 31st of July and the 2nd of December. It’s a day that celebrates all those pooches out there who aren’t purebreds but still deserve an equal amount of love, affection and pride from their owners.
Let’s jump straight into today’s short and simple post!
National Mutt Day
The legendary unicorn dog!
National Mutt Day is all about celebrating and saving the massive array of mixed-breed pooches out there. In fact, there are so many different dog breeds out there that after a quick search I came across 344 different purebred dogs, so you can only imagine how many mixed-breeds are out there also. National Mutt Day was founded back in 2005 by Colleen Paige, a pet and home lifestyle expert with a serious passion and love for animals.
As well as National Mutt Day Colleen is responsible for creating many other national pet days that all help us to celebrate the worlds unconditional love for our canine and feline companions, as well as horses and various other wildlife. Below you can see a list of the many other national pet days Colleen has founded over the years.
- National Horse Protection Day, 1st March
- National Pet Day, 11th April
- National Mutt Day, July 31st & 2nd December
- National Dog Day, August 26th
- National Wildlife Day, 4th September
- National Walk Your Dog Week, 2nd October
- National Black Dog Day, 15th October
- National Cat Day, 29th October
As you can see, Colleen has created a variety of national days to help, pet lovers and owners worldwide celebrate the countless benefits that our companion animals provide. To learn more about these special days then head over to Colleen’s website. Also, some of you may remember one of my previous posts from last year which was all about National Walk Your Dog Week another of Colleen’s wonderful days, and if you haven’t read it yet then check it out after reading today’s post.
What is National Mutt Day all about?
National Mutt Day is all about raising awareness about mixed-breed dogs with the hopes that the general public will realise that mixed-breed canines are just as good, as their purebred counterparts. Shockingly, 80% of dogs that end up in shelters are mixed breeds and most purebreds are rehomed very quickly. My first ever dog was a mixed-breed we got him when I was just six weeks old and he was called Simba, to this day I still haven’t worked out what breeds he was bred from.
There are a few misconceptions when it comes to mixed-breeds and purebreds, one of the most popular is that purebred dogs are healthier than mixed-breeds but this isn’t always the case. A massive aim of National Mixed Breed Day is to inform the general public about the many mixed-breed dogs who are searching for their forever homes in shelters worldwide. I think I’ll write a post going more in-depth about the debate of whether mixed-breeds or purebred dogs are healthier but in the meantime, if you would like to learn more check out this great article from The Institute of Canine Biology on the Health of purebred vs mixed breed dogs: the actual data.
The Aims of National Mutt Day
As well as celebrating the many benefits that mixed-breed pooches have to offer there are a few essential aims of National Mutt Day which I’m going to list below.
- To raise awareness about the many mixed-breed dogs in animals shelters all around the world.
Over 80% of dogs that end up in animal shelters are of mixed-breed; this is because of a few reasons. One is that there is so much mixed breeding taking place due to people wanting an array of designer dogs, that unfortunately, some of these dogs are left abandoned or dumped in shelters due to health conditions from over breeding and poor genetics. National Mutt Day aims to help inform the public that many mixed-breed dogs are perfectly healthy, have a wonderful character and will make the perfect pet just like any purebred pup.
- Adopt a shelter pet or help your local shelter by donating money, food or blankets.
When we decided we wanted a little friend for Nia to grow up alongside, we went to our local shelter three times before deciding to get a puppy aka, little Lily finally. However, it was so awful leaving the countless innocent dogs that were all searching for their forever homes, every time I went empty-handed I felt so guilty for not giving a dog that second chance they so rightly deserved. Nevertheless, it had to be the right choice for Nia as we weren’t too sure how she was going to react so we opted for a little puppy who we could train and whose history we knew from day one.
However, if you’re thinking about getting a pet for the first time, then I would highly suggest going to your local shelter and giving a pet in need a loving home. So many innocent cats and dogs are euthanised each year because there simply aren’t enough homes out there. This breaks my heart and another aim of National Mutt Day is to persuade the public to consider adopting a canine companion from a shelter instead of opting straight for a puppy. Lastly, if you are not in a position to adopt a pet in need but still want to help out your local shelter this National Mutt Day then why not donate essential items such as food, treats, toys, bedding and so on. Every little donation makes a massive difference to the animals who end up in these shelters.
To learn more about this wonderful day simply follow the link and head over to the National Mutt Day website.
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