How to Celebrate with Your Dog
A whole day for celebrating our pets gives us the chance to be a little extra—learn how to spoil your pup for the holiday!
We live in a world where new holidays are being made up every day, and you might feel one way or another about that. Sure, some of them are a little silly, but so many of them are really just a fun opportunity to celebrate all of the special things and people in our world.
National Love Your Pet Day is one modern holiday that pawrents are really getting into, which means you need to prepare for it to show your dog just how much you really appreciate them. Let’s explore what you need to know—and how you can make sure that your pet absolutely loves their special day!
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What is National Love Your Pet Day?
National Love Your Pet Day rolls around on February 20th every single year, and it is a day that is devoted to sharing love and appreciation for the pets that make our lives so wonderful. All around the world, pawrents spend time with their pets and show just how much their furry friends mean to them by showering them with love and affection. It is an opportunity for pawrents and their beloved pets to bond, share in the joy, and celebrate just how lucky we are to be able to share our lives with each other.
Why All Pawrents Should Celebrate This Day
On the surface, it is easy to think that this is one of those silly novelty holidays that isn’t worth much attention, but hear us out. National Love Your Pet Day isn’t just a day for people to post cute pictures of their pets online, though it is certainly for that as well—but really, it is all about sharing your love and appreciation with your pet.
Our pets bring so much to our lives that most of us can’t imagine our lives without them, but how good are we at making sure that they get the love and attention that they deserve every day? Pets are a valuable part of our lives and families, and they are perfect for helping us to improve our lives in countless ways. Often, rescue dogs rescue us as well—but with the chaos of our daily lives, sometimes we forget to show our pets just how big of a role they play in our lives. This is the perfect opportunity to bond with your pet and celebrate all of the joy and snuggles that they bring to our lives.
Ways to Be Absolutely Extra with Your Pet for the Holiday
It’s a different era—one that has traded pet owners for pawrents—and we believe that this is a truly wonderful change. Pets are family, and it is so nice to be able to treat them like the important members of the household that they are. This is one of the many reasons why we would encourage you to be absolutely over-the-top extra with your pet on this day. Your pet will appreciate it, but it’s also a ton of fun!
Make the Day All About Them
As a pawrent, one of the best things that you can do to celebrate this day in style with your pup is to make the day all about them. In the same way that we show appreciation for different groups on certain days, like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, this is a day that is focused deeply on showing appreciation for our pets. What better day is there to do this than on National Love Your Pet Day?
can turn this day into a full or partial day of fun puppy festivities to remind your dog that you appreciate them and love to spend time with them by checking in with them all day and arranging your day around their joy!
Get Them a Special Outfit
Pet lovers know that some doogs were just made for the spotlight, and nothing snags attention quite like a cute outfit. There are adorable dog clothes and stories that come with them, which tells us that some fashionable folks really enjoy dressing up with their beloved pet companion—and you can too.
Comfortable and relaxed fit
HEARTBEAT SWEATER
On this day, we want to give our pets plenty of attention, but with a cute outfit like this Heartbeat Dog Sweater, (which is currently on sale!), we won’t be the only ones giving extra attention to our pets—everyone will.
Pet lovers fawn over well-dressed pets, and helping your furbaby to receive some extra love is always a good way to show how much you care.
Cook Their Favorite Meal
Most of our pets have a favorite meal, and while we might not be able to give it to them every day, this is the perfect kind of day to give them that extra special meal or treat. If you have a pup that only gets to eat that very special snack a couple of times a year, pull out all the stops and make it for them on this day.
A lot of the time, dogs only get their special meals or snacks on human holidays, which is another reason that doing it on this day is so fun—because it will come as a surprise with no other stimulation in the form of a human party or event. It will just be all about them. A day full of home-cooked doggy snacks will guarantee that your dog feels special. Instead of making them do a trick to earn it, just serve it up without warning and see how excited they get. This is a great way to spoil and appreciate your pets!
Take Them to The Dog Park
National Love Your Pet Day is a day that is focused on showing our pets love, so heading over to the dog park with the other pets that are also celebrating is a wonderful opportunity to sprinkle in a little extra joy on this day. At the dog park, your pup can celebrate with all of their friends and really howl “I AM DOG” to the world on this wonderful day of celebration.
For most pets, this brings extra joy, not only because it is a part of the celebration, but also because dogs tend to love the dog park. Let your dog run, jump, and bark to the heart’s content with their friends while they celebrate just how lovely it is to be a part of a family that loves them so much.
Throw a Party for All of Your Doggy Friends
Being extra often means going big or going home, and nothing says extra quite like a whole dog party designed to celebrate your dogs. Our dogs love to be at our human parties, but nothing is quite as fun as a whole party specifically for them—and there is so much opportunity for pawrents here.
Depending on your level of extra and your pet’s preferences, you will find that there are so many different ways to throw the ultimate party to show your pets a little love. Bring together your closest friends and relatives—as well as their own adorable furbabies—for a celebration that your dogs will remember until next year’s rolls around.
Your party might be something as simple as getting together for some snacks and a laidback hangout session, but you don’t need to stop there. Remember, this is a day to celebrate your pets and be extra, so why not go the extra mile? Add the decorations, bake custom dog treats, make a dog-safe cake, and put on your pup’s favorite playlist. Trust us, the humans at this party will enjoy it almost as much as the dogs will!
Do a Special Holiday Photoshoot
On National Love Your Pet Day, you have the opportunity to really preserve these precious moments so you always have the best pictures of your furbaby to reflect on. Whether you hang them on your walls at home or your desk at the office, a special photoshoot can be a fun and exciting bonding experience for you and your dog.
Fun & Flirty
Ruffle Dress
Ready to show off your little angel is this adorable dog dress. Available in 4 lovely colors.
The best photoshoots involve your dog being comfortable and having fun, but that looks a little different for every dog. Consider taking your dog out on a nice hike or staging the perfect photoshoot in your very own backyard. This is an opportunity for you to have a little fun and make lasting memories—and your dog will absolutely love the extra attention. Just remember to put them in their favorite outfits or have them show off their best tricks.
Go For a Toy Run
Showing love can be done in many different ways, but it isn’t a secret that humans are often fond of giving each other presents to show that they care—so, what if you share this little act of love with your favorite fluffballs? Dogs absolutely love toys, and they will always appreciate getting new ones!
Though your dog might be perfectly happy unwrapping their new toy from a bag or a box, the reality is that a good toy run can allow you to give your dog a present that really catches their interests, and it provides you with a wonderful little bonding trip together as well.
To complete a toy run with your dog, the rules are very simple. Grab your pup for a car ride (or a walk if you are close enough) and head on over to your favorite pet store. Walk in the store and allow your pup to pick out their own goodies. If your dog sees a toy on the rack that they’re interested in, see if they want it. They will be delighted to pick out their own present!
Additional Toy Run Tips:
- Shop local pet stores to support local businesses on this special day
- Let your pup pick out their very own treat or chew as well
- Help them to consider their options by showing them different toys
- Let them lead you around the toy aisles (within reason, of course)
- Praise them the entire time
Head Over to Starbucks for a Puppucino
Sometimes the best way to celebrate a holiday is with a classic treat, and there are few things more endearingly extra than the classic puppucino. The truth is that pets go absolutely wild for these delicious treats, and we totally get it. But, it is also a really easy treat and opportunity for you to give your pup something extra special on this dog-focused day.
Do Their Favorite Thing
If you’re not exactly sure where to start or what to do with your pet, sometimes the best solution really is just to do something that you know that they will love. Our pets each have their own favorite things that always bring them joy, whether it is a good game of fetch or just snuggling on the couch with a movie. If you want a simple way to pass the time, this is the perfect way to do it.
Nothing tells our pets how much we love them quite like dedicating time and energy to something that we know they enjoy. Give it a try and watch how excited your pet gets. This is a great option for pawrents who will be working or busy on this holiday. It’s all about the little things!
Make National Love Your Pet Day Count
This day only comes around once a year, but it brings the perfect opportunity to really show our pets how much they mean to us. Sure, your dog might not understand what the date on the calendar means, but they will certainly be able to feel the love when you put in the work. Bond with your pet and spoil them so they know just how big of an impact they have made on your family!
Until next time, thank you for reading!
About the author: Gabrielle is the loving pawrent to adorable pups Willow and Dilla. Growing up surrounded by dogs, she always dreamt of having her own. Willow and Dilla came into her life and changed everything. Now, she's crazy about pampered pooches, and her perfect day involves dancing with her husband, dressing up her furbabies, and cuddling them to sleep. For Gabrielle, life is all about spreading love and joy with her adorable canine companions by her side.
