Saturday is National Puppy Day, the perfect time to appreciate your own furry friend or perhaps meet a new one.
National Puppy Day, which falls on March 23 this year, was established in 2006 as a way to promote dog adoption and educate the public about puppy mills, according to the National Puppy Day website.
“Puppies are the most trusting and joyous creatures on the planet,” said National Puppy Day founder, Colleen Paige. “Oh, to be more like a puppy.”
National Puppy Day encourages dog lovers to adopt puppies from shelters as opposed to buying them from breeders, in order to prevent proliferation of puppy mills. Puppies from puppy mills often face unhealthy conditions, according to the "Why adopt instead of shop?" page on the National Puppy Day website.
For those who do wish to buy a puppy from a breeder, the National Puppy Day website recommends checking "that the breeder is licensed by their city and state, has a good reputation, no BBB complaints, no law suits, valid customer testimonials, a health certificate from a reputable vet and no signs of illness with their puppies."
The National Puppy Day website has a list of suggestions of ways to celebrate, including adopting a puppy (of course), donating to your local animal shelter or playing with a pup you already own.
National Puppy Day comes days after the American Kennel Club released its annual ranking of the most popular dog breeds. The Labrador topped the list for the 28th year in a row. Rounding out the top five were German shepherds, golden retrievers, French bulldogs and bulldogs.
The entire ranking can be read here.
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