September 22 - 28 was celebrated as "National Dog Week" in the United States. In Australia, we celebrate our dogs too. It is surprising to think 90 years ago, author and publisher Captain William Lewis Judy was thinking of ways humans could be better to dogs and created the first “National Dog Week.” Captain Judy was known for great quotes such as: “Don’t call a man a dog. It’s unfair to the dog.”
Captain Will Judy was has been inducted to the Animal History Museum as an innovator of acceptable and more human practices when owning a dog. In those days, dogs were never in the house but always outside and often tethered. His ideas of how to more humanly let your dog be tethered with room to roam were at first shunned, then accepted. He would be very proud of how far we have come to appreciate dogs and be better pet parents in today’s world.
This year’s National Dog Week theme is “Man's Best Friend.” So with this in mind, here are ways you can celebrate your dog any time and reconnect as best friends always need to do.
It is always a good idea to take care of your dog's health. If you haven't recently, let this week serve as a reminder to see your veterinarian and be sure to take the arthritis assessment every six months to see how your dog’s mobility is doing.
For most of pet parents, every week is dog week at our homes. No matter what you do – celebrate big with #NationalDogWeek your dog!