May 17, 2023

National Rescue Dog Day

National Rescue Dog Day is dedicated to recognizing and appreciating the countless number of dogs that are rescued each year and to encourage people to adopt rescue dogs as well as to shine a light on the work of animal shelters.

When is National Rescue Dog Day?

National Rescue Dog Day is observed on May 20th every year.

This pet holiday was founded in 2018 by children’s book author Lisa Wiehebrink and founder of the nonprofit Tails That Teach, which donates her books to elementary schools and humane societies around the country.

Share your rescue dog photos on social media with hashtag #nationalrescuedogday.

How Can You Celebrate National Rescue Dog Day?

Since its inception, National Rescue Dog Day has gained popularity and is now recognized and celebrated by many people across the United States.

The day is an opportunity to celebrate the love and companionship that rescue dogs bring to our lives and to highlight the importance of adopting rescue dogs in need of a forever home.

Adoption is, of course, one of the best ways to help rescue dogs!

This year we adopted our dog Isla from our local shelter, joining our rescue dog Barli as the latest in a long line of rescue dogs who have shared our hearts and home through the years. And we couldn’t be happier.

If you aren’t ready to adopt, don’t forget that fostering, volunteering and donating are also excellent ways to support the many rescues and shelters that are working every day to help find forever homes for adoptable dogs.

Share Adoptables on Social Media

One of the best ways to help rescue dogs on National Rescue Dog Day is to share adoptables on your favorite social media channels. Your effort costs nothing more than a few minutes of time–and the result could be a new forever family for a shelter dog!

Whether you are sharing on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or other social media site, here are a few tips for getting the most eyes on your shared adoptables:

Bark Out Loud.

Don’t restrict your account to only those people who are your followers; if anyone can follow you and see your posts, your account will grow much faster and your posts will have a wider reach.

If you want to maintain your privacy, start a separate, public account just for your animal advocacy and leave your personal account private.

Use Proper ID.

Hashtags serve much like an online index. The # symbol identifies the indexed term. For example, “1-year-old mixed breed #dog in #Denver” will index the words dog and Denver.

Location, location, location.

Yes, you and your followers might know that when you mention Austin you’re referring to Minnesota and not Texas. But when that social media post is shared, no one will realize the pet’s location. It’s best to include the city and state; adding a hashtag means that residents in that city who might be looking for news will also see your post.

Sit Up and Beg.

Studies have shown that requests for retweets and shares do, in fact, get more shares than posts that do not have a request.

Similarly, identifying that the URL contains more info, a photo, video, etc. will also result in more interest.