Celebrate the universal birthday for shelter dogs with us!

Dogust 1st: Join us with the different ways to celebrate the universal birthday for dogs in shelters

Many of us are lucky enough to have a canine as our best friend, who lives with us, eats with us, and walks with us everywhere we go. Finding a pet dog that suits your family can be a fun and difficult process.

During the pandemic and various lockdowns, the UK saw 3.2 million households get a pet, with 12.5 million pet dogs were recorded to be part of a household. This equates to 33% households who own a dog in the UK, which highlights having a dog as a pet is for many people, a popular choice.

Although, sadly not every dog finds their perfect family and are still on the important journey in finding a place of belonging. According to the RSPCA, they received the highest number of incident calls for dogs.

Every year, 664,000 dogs enter an animal shelter, with thousands still yet to be rehomed, despite the recent increase in people owning a dog.

With all the doom and gloom in the world, no one wants a dog to go unloved and most importantly…we still need to be able to celebrate their birthday!

That is why August 1st is an essential day as it is ‘Dogust 1st: Universal birthday for the shelter dogs’. This is a fun day to celebrate all dogs in rescue shelters’ birthdays, who we still don’t know the birth date of and deserve a big universal celebration to show how the world still cares and appreciates them.

The day was created by the North Shore Animal League who wanted to create the day specifically for rescue and shelter dogs, but also it’s an important day to recognise the work that dog shelters do to help our canine friends get rehomed.

Without the many dog rescue homes in the UK, there would be a number dogs living on the streets and not receiving the adequate care and support they need.

So, now we get to the fun bit, what ways can you celebrate DOGust and join in on the fun?

Percuro, the planet-friendly dog food company, have created a list of all the various ways you can get involved in to commemorate shelter dog’s birthdays, and yes this is an excuse to bake a cake!

Throw a Pawty
Fetch your dogs and get them prepped for the perfect pawty, specifically for dogs. Get all their dog friends together and let them have a play together, then to add to this party you’ll need to have plenty of tasty treats and dog cake to make the ultimate party for dogs. Perhaps find a cute and fun outfit to put your pooch in to make them stand out in the crowd.

Have a go at being a volunteer!
For those who love surrounding themselves with dogs, or those who are really adamant at getting a pet dog but their other half keeps saying no… the next best thing to do is volunteer at your local dog shelter. This way you can help take care of the dogs and spend as much time with them as you can, whether that’s going in for just one day or a whole week, it’s completely up to you. It makes it easier to sing happy birthday to all the dogs at the shelter!

Bake a dog friendly cake
A birthday for dogs calls for a birthday cake, but this one is just for dogs. Why not touch up on your baking skills by cooking a healthy cake for dogs, much like a good old fashioned carrot cake, but this time making the frosting using whipped mash potato to make it extra healthy and friendly for your pooch. There are plenty of tasty recipes out there so get experimenting and why not gift the finished cake round at the shelter for dogs to let them enjoy it.

Donate items to the dog shelters
Dogs are always in need of items to keep them occupied and shelters can always take in essential objects to keep the pooches happy and healthy, like food, towels, and blankets. But most importantly, toys are what keep the life of a dog extra fun, so before you head to a charity shop with dog toys, perhaps create a bundle of joy for our furry friends with a gift box full of chewy toys.

Add to the family by adopting a new furry friend
Finally, the best way to celebrate DOGust, the universal birthday for shelter dogs, is by adopting a pooch to add to your family. Whether it’s your first pet dog or your second, why not add to this joyful day by growing the four legged family. It will make room for another homeless dog seeking shelter, so if you have the right tips and tricks to take care of a dog, then this could be the best addition to your life!

DOGust 1st should be a fun day but also, don’t forget to donate to your local dog shelters and rescue centres as thousands of dogs still need to be rehomed and need support.

Now Britain, get baking that tasty birthday cake for dogs!