It’s National Dog Day: Here Are the Best Ways to Celebrate Your Four-Footed Best Friend
National Dog Day in the United States is August 26, which falls on a Friday this year. It's the one

National Dog Day in the United States is August 26, which falls on a Friday this year.
It's the one day of a year when everyone has an excuse to throw society's expectations to the wind and shamelessly celebrate their four-footed best friends. Here's a look at the best ways to celebrate, some deals you won't want to miss – and just how much dogs matter to us as a country.
Ideas to Celebrate
First of all, every dog should have their cake and eat it too.
At Love From the Oven, they've crafted this dog-centric cake recipe that everyone should whip up for their pampered pooch. Ingredients include:
- "1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter Do NOT use a peanut butter with Xylitol as it's dangerous to dogs. Check ingredients!
- 1/2 cup applesauce go with plain, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree make sure you use pure pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie mix
- 1 egg."
And for the frosting:
- "1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup peanut butter."
It's simple, it's dog safe, and your dog will know just how much you love them after they dig in to this special confection. Find the recipe here.
This is also the perfect time to stock up on those special treats your dog loves so much; be it chew toys, plushies or a soft new bed – go on, your friend deserves it.
And it's also the perfect time to have a chat with your Alexa. Alexa offers a skill called, "Comfort my dog." If she detects barking, Alexa will play some soothing music to help calm your pup if you're away from home. They also offer a "Comfort my cat" skill but maybe don't let your dog hear about it.
Deals and Freebies
And this is also a good time to consider scoring some deals and freebies for your furchild.
All across the country, Humane Society shelters and rescues are discounting adoptions for National Dog Day, so check out your local shelter and see if it's time to bring home your newest family member. But remember – don't impulse adopt. It's wonderful to share your home with a pup, but it should never be done without careful planning and the whole family's consent. Also this is a good time to mark on your calendar a plan to get in touch with those same local shelters when the holidays approach. Often times, to ease burden on staff which tend to be smaller over the holidays, shelters will allow dogs to go home with volunteers temporarily to celebrate the holidays. And sometimes, that temporary situation becomes permanent – so grab an extra bed this week and hold onto it for your short term (or long term) holiday guest.
To find a list of deals you won't want to miss out on, check out this USA Today article.
Some pet stores are also giving you money to spend – after you spend some first, of course. These freebie cash back offers are the perfect way to get more for your money:
- Spend $100, Get a $30 eGift Card at Chewy
- Save $15 on Orders Over $75 at Petco
- Save $10 on $40+ Purchases With Free Same-Day DoorDash Delivery at PetSmart
- Enjoy 50% Your First Order at Spot & Tango.
For more, visit this link.
How Much Does America Love Dogs?
It seems like everywhere you turn today, someone's talking about Dog Day. So how much exactly does America love dogs?
A whole lot, it turns out.
About 70% of households in the United States owns a pet of some kind. And of those households, 69 million own dogs.
If you yourself don't own a dog, chances are good that you know someone who does and who pampers that pooch. Humankind's relationship with dogs has stretched back through history, and they've always played a part of humanity's development and society's progress.
Our pets now live better lives than ever, with more affordable access to quality food, clean water and vet care – but owning a dog is still a huge responsibility that should be carefully considered before making the leap. Once you decide that a pooch is perfect for your family though, the rewards are unending.