National Pet Month – May

We, humans, share a special bonding with our pets. Pet ownership enriches our lives in many ways. About 85 million households across the US own pets. Treating pets as significant members of our families and providing them the much deserved happy and healthy environment would be challenging, with a twist of joy and mischief in it.

There are a lot of pet-oriented celebrations all year round. We have tried to list all of them and I am sure most pet parents celebrate or take part in a  few of them within their communities.

• National pet memorial day
• National pet week
• National dog week
• World pet memorial day
• National fire pup day
• ginger cat appreciation day
• National pet day
• Shelter pet day
• National puppy day
• National black cat day
• International guide dog day
• World veterinary day
• National tabby day
• Hairball awareness day
• Dog day (Dog day is for all kinds of dogs. Dog day is for pet dogs, service dogs, and more)
• Cat day (Cat day is for pet cats and other cats too. There would be many events on the cats day, as cat day gives you an opportunity to groom your cat like a princess)
• Dogust universal birthday
• Dog month (Dog month is for all pet dogs and other dogs)
• Pets day (pets day is commonly for all pets)
• Vet day

Apart from these above, there are some other celebrations as well which are indirectly associated with our pets such as:

• National kids day
• National walk day
• National cook day
• National hug day
• Greyhound Month
• Protection month
• Heat month
• National Garfield

Even without these days to celebrate, we believe that pets make our everyday celebratory worthy with their affection and antics. The celebration of such events raises awareness about pet ownership and gives you opportunities to spend quality time with your cherished companions. Interestingly, National Pet Month (NPM) celebrates pet ownership. NPM endorses run a media campaign spreading awareness about pets, pet ownership, and professionals contributing to the wellness of pets.

The month of May is dedicated to our pets. But we never cease to be pet parents throughout the year and perhaps throughout the time. It is interesting to know the significance of this celebration and we can celebrate it in our own ways with our furry friends. 

Image from Pixabay by Blende

Also, it is a campaign month for various media outlets, animal lovers, and pet welfare organizations, and rescue centers. They develop informative and important content about pets and pet ownership and spread important messages through social networks as part of their educational campaign during this month.

What Is The Significance of National Pet Month?

You and your pets share joys and sorrows and remain united irrespective of the ups and downs life may bring. We celebrate National Pet Month to spread awareness among people about the many benefits of pet ownership. 

Many professionals, such as veterinarians, animal behaviorists, scientists researching veterinary medicine for pets, certified zoo veterinarians, and more, dedicate their lives to taking care of animals and are passionate about the cause. We celebrate National Pet Month for increasing awareness among people about the services these professionals provide. These professionals spend the most time with the animals, and hence, they deserve recognition and respect for their work.

Working companion animals is another class of pets that deserves recognition. People across the world use various animals for rides and transporting goods. The best examples might be horses, donkeys, kettles, water buffalo, and within a few specific geographical areas, yaks, camels, and elephants. 

Apart from these, companion animals, like horses, goats, birds, rabbits, and a few amphibian animals help make our lives complete. Again, Emotional Support Pets also serve as close companions for people suffering from emotional or mental issues.

Image from Pixabay by TomaszProszek

The National Pet Month emphasizes conveying the importance of the role of these animals, the value-addition they make to our lives, and their overall contribution to society.

Celebrate National Pet Month By Adopting A Furry Friend

Pet parents from across the country can celebrate national pet month in many innovative ways.  However, how about adding families without any pets to the community of pet parents?  Encouraging your friends, colleagues, and neighbors to have a cute furry friend and to become new pet parents can be the best way to celebrate this month dedicated to pets.

It does not matter what size the family is to adopt a pet to give them comfort and joy. It does not matter if you are a student,  a working professional,  or a retired person staying alone, having a pet would add a new flavor to your life.  Popular adoptable pets, such as dogs, cats, birds, and various other animals, add companionship and joy to your life. 

Image from Pixabay by guvo

To add a new member to your family,  one option is to get puppies of your choice,  considering their breed,  requirements, etc.  On the other hand,  if you wish to provide nutritious food,  better care,  emotional attachment,  along with a happy and healthy environment to a neglected pet,  you can go ahead and adopt one through the phenomenal pet welfare organizations.

Many phenomenal pet welfare organizations and also local shelters encourage and promote pet adoption. However, people must come up voluntarily to adopt pets to become new pet owners.  You have the opportunity to bring positive changes and care and love.  At the same time,  the pet you adopt would have various positive influences on your lives too. Responsible pet ownership can change the dynamics of your life and make you a better person, an animal lover.

Adopting A Pet From A Local Shelter Or Shopping For One… Which One Is Better And Why?

Shopping for pet store puppies and other pets of your choice could be a simple task.  You ask experts,  gather information from various platforms like informative and important content on social networks,  and do your homework to decide on the dog breed or the kind of cat you would like to bring home. In the next step,  you find sellers/stores and search for the particular dog breed.  Finally, you contact them, visit the place,  and bring home the puppy, kitten, or parrot you were looking for.

However, adopting a pet from a phenomenal pet welfare organization, like an animal rescue center or a local shelter, would be a different kind of experience altogether.  Adopting a pet can be better than buying one for various reasons. 

Let us consider some of the factors that would help you decide whether to adopt a pet or to buy it: 

Add A Reason To Smile

Adopting a pet that had been neglected or abandoned due to different kinds of situations brings a great deal of peace of mind. When you buy a pet for your family,  you would be considering it as a commodity.  

You must be well aware of the fact that you can buy things but cannot buy happiness. Adopt a pet, which may be a dog, many dogs, a cat, a parrot, or any other animal. The pets in shelters need and deserve love and care. You can bring a reason to smile to your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Support Animal Welfare

Pet stores sometimes operate as ‘breeding factories.’ Their priority is to make profits over animal welfare. However, animal rescue centers and local shelters try to bring positive changes in the lives of the animals they rescue from adverse situations.

By adopting pets through such rescue homes and pet welfare organizations,  you can contribute to the overall welfare of adorable yet homeless pets. Responsible pet ownership would be among the most challenging and joyous experiences of your lives.

Image from Pixabay by Inonyazi

You And The Pet Choose Each Other 

Adopting a pet is always encouraged. In adoption from rescue centers, you and the pet get to choose each other. Sometimes there is an instant connection between the owners and the pets and also adoption is encouraged because it gives a home for older and neglected pets as well.

You Would Have A Trained Companion

Most animal rescue centers and local shelters foster the rescued animals by implementing the best practices.  These pets would be vaccinated, treated with required veterinary medicine,  provided with nutritious food,  and house-trained by professional trainers. Thus,  as you adopt a pet from such organizations,  you would have a companion for a  long time.

Help Pets In Need Get A Permanent Home 

Local shelters and rescue centers bridge the gap between the pets in need and pet ownership aspirants seeking a companion. By adopting a pet from such organizations,  you provide a permanent home, along with love and care to the wandering pets.

Wide-Ranging Pets You Can Adopt

When you decide to become a new pet parent by adopting a friendly pet, the first question that comes to your mind is which pet should you adopt. Isn’t it? As you prefer local shelters and animal rescue centers as the source of your adoption, you would have numerous options to choose from.

It is important to note that these pets are different from other domestic pets used for rides, transportation, farming, and various other purposes. These pets do not work for you or produce any product. Yet, these pets make your life meaningful and emotionally prosperous.

During this campaign month, you can also look out for and participate in larger events in person. Many organizations arrange adoption drives. They display the range of adoptable pets they have and encourage aspiring people to adopt them and accept responsible pet ownership.

Here are some of the adorable pets that you can take home and celebrate national pet month meaningfully:

• Puppy

In the US, about 50 million households own at least one dog, and many people have many dogs at home. The average of dogs per household is currently 1.7. That shows the popularity of puppies and dogs as pets, and it confirms that many homes have more than one dog with them.

Adopting a puppy has many benefits. If you are all alone year-round and looking for a companion, a puppy or a dog could be a perfect choice. Pet dogs bear a positive influence on your health also. You can get better stress relief, lower blood pressure levels, and thus, there would be the least hances for cardiovascular issues leading to death. So, you live longer by having a dog as a cherishing companion with you. 

The loyalty a pet dog retains for his lifetime, the companionship the pet dogs offer, the way the pet dogs protect your homes, and surprising ease in training them makes them some of the most popular pets.

To know more about the scientifically proven benefits of owning a pet dog, you can refer to the post titled 10 Science-Based Benefits of Having A Dog published by the American Kennel Club.

Image from Pixabay by Free Images

• Kitten

Cats are also popular household pets in the US, and about 30 million households have pet cats. Again, the average of cats per household is 2.2. That indicates that people like to have multiple cats at home. Maybe, some households have generations of cats living as a significant part of the family.

There are many benefits of adopting a cat or having a pet cat as your cherishing companion. You would forget the feeling of loneliness as you pet a cat spending quality time with it. Reduced stress and anxiety levels keep you safe from the risk of heart disease. Again, if you allow your kids to play with cats, the kids develop an immune system against allergies.

If you wish to explore more possibilities of the pleasure of pet ownership adopting a cat, you can go through the post titled The Joys of Owning A Cat published by HelpGuide. 

• Freshwater Fish

How about having an aquarium at home? Have you thought of this option before? Freshwater fish is also a popular pet in the USA. Though it is the highest in numbers, as aquariums contain multiple fishes, the number of households having them might be less than that of dogs and cats.

Image from Pixabay by Hans

Have you ever noticed the effect of ever-busy and ever-active fishes in the aquarium on the overall environment at homes and even commercial establishments? In some cultures, it is considered that the offices, shops, and other business spaces should have an aquarium, as it increases the overall activity.

Your kids love watching fishes in the aquarium, and that develops their creativity. Again, other health benefits are a bonus, such as better stress relief and lowered anxiety, lower blood pressure levels, fewer chances of getting heart disease. Studies show that freshwater fishes help to avoid Alzheimer too. 

US National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health explains many benefits of having freshwater fish as pets in this post.

• Guinea Pig

This creature belongs to the family of rodents and has been extensively used for experiments while researching veterinarian medicines and even medicines for humans. 

Image from Pixabay by Vantagepointfl

Do you remember popular Hollywood Movies, like G-Force and Stuart Little? These movies featured Guinea Pigs as their lead characters. There are over a million guinea pigs in the USA. So, this is also a good option when it comes to adopting a pet as your cherishing companion.

Guinea pigs and hamsters are cute and easy to care for. They are great pets for your kids too. They are unique, healthy, and live longer. So, you can enjoy their companionship for years ahead. Their body language, purring sound, and gestures are attractive. Thus, you can pet them spending quality time, and forget all your worries.

Watch this informative video to know more about the health benefits you get by adopting guinea pigs as pets.

• Rabbit

Pet ownership of a rabbit can be challenging as it requires a lot of care and attention. However, they are cute and cuddly. The new pet owners looking for some unique pet can go for rabbits through local shelters and animal rescue centers. If you plan fun holidays in parks and forests, rabbits could be your best companions to enjoy your expeditions.

Image from Pixabay by SimonaR

You can train rabbits to use litter boxes and also some tricks. They are quiet yet active companions. Rabbits require regular exercise, and generally, it may be time-consuming to look after them. Another factor you need to take care of is their habit of chewing and scratching almost everything that comes their way. 

You can go through this detailed post published by Rabbit Care Tips to understand the merits and demerits of having a rabbit as a pet.

What Are The Other Meaningful Ways To Celebrate National Pet Month?

We dedicate the month of May to pet ownership and a unique relationship we share with our pets. There need to be some ideas to celebrate national pet month. The celebration should add value to the lives of people voluntarily embracing responsible pet ownership, and pets too.

The following are some significant ideas to celebrate national pet month to bring positive change to the pets and pet parent community:

• Give Whole-heartedly

Giving brings a rare sense of peace of mind and positivity in your lives. You can get involved in pet welfare activities in person to help organizations provide better care to rescued pets. You can donate to some local shelters or animal rescue centers during this month. 

Your small contribution helps these organizations execute their mission aggressively. If you cannot help financially, donating your valuable time, helpful supplies, or your skills to such organizations could be other options. 

• Contribute To Educational Campaigns

Even if you cannot host and arrange larger events, you can still contribute to the cause of educating people about the benefits of pet ownership. You can write and post informative and important content on social networks to raise awareness among people in general. 

You can make effective use of various platforms to run an effective educational campaign during national pet month.

• Help Pets Find Their New Homes

Social networks are powerful platforms for spreading the word about an initiative or narrative in the modern digital era. You can use various platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more, to post an available pet. 

The interested people can approach you or contact the rehab center to adopt the pet. Thus, your small effort can provide a permanent home to a needy pet during national pet month.

• Offer Free Pet Training

If you are a pro dog trainer or a trainer for other pets, you can approach animal shelters, rehabs, and rescue centers to provide free training to the pets there. This could be a valuable contribution to make the pets more attentive, obedient, less aggressive, and fit.

Image from Pixabay

• Raise Funds For Animal Welfare

You can host a fundraising event or a virtual drive through online crowdfunding or other methods to raise funds for animal welfare organizations or activities. There are people around that like to donate for noble causes. 

You can bridge the gap between the organizations working for pets and the people willing to donate. As you successfully raise funds through these channels, you would be satisfied as you are helping to save some lives. 

The Takeaway

The article discusses the significance of National Pet Month and some meaningful ways to celebrate the month. We hope the discussion helps you understand the importance of this occasion dedicated to our pets and the people spending their lives on them. Approach a local shelter today to bring home a furry friend for life and volunteer to help those local shelters and the pets during this critical time.