National Pet Day is April 11

By Jay McKinney

While every day spent with beloved pets is worth cherishing, April 11 is recognized as National Pet Day and is a reminder to go above and beyond for our furry friends. Surely there will be a social media flood of cliché selfies showing people smothering their pets with love, but there are other ways to celebrate the holiday and make a profound impact whether you own a pet or not.

Starting with your local animal shelter, you could look for a pet to adopt or even foster, providing them a much-needed loving home. If that’s too much commitment, volunteer opportunities are plentiful, and remember, spending time with the animals will brighten their day as much as yours.

Joan Thielen, public relations manager of the Denver Dumb Friends League, says the first thing to do if you’re interested in volunteering is to go to the organization’s website and explore the different opportunities. “Volunteers really help in every capacity at the shelter,” Thielen says. “They help with things like dog walking and cat enrichment. They assist our veterinary team helping animals come out of surgery.

They work in our adoptions area helping connect patrons with their new family members. Volunteers are really an important part of the work that we do, and we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without their support.”

As much as people would love to volunteer for the animals in need, sometimes there simply isn’t enough time in the day. In that case, donations are always welcome at the Dumb Friends League, which is a private non-profit organization. Aside from cash donations, the website includes a wish list of needed items such as towels, Q-tips and puppy pads.

“People can also designate the Dumb Friends League as their Amazon Smile partner so when they purchase an item on Amazon, a portion of that will come back to the Dumb Friends League,” Thielen says. “(It’s) a really easy way to get involved and donate while you’re buying other things online.” King Soopers also offers a similar deal, allowing customers to sign up the Dumb Friends League as their give-back partner so that every time they grocery shop and use their King Soopers card, a portion of the proceeds will go to the shelter.

If you do have that furry friend that you smother with love and post selfies with, then you may want to consider getting them a special treat for the holiday. For those with dogs, Kyoto Botanicals, a Colorado CBD company based in Longmont, will be offering 20 percent off their dog treats from April 11-17. Based on market research 85 percent of dog owners agree that their pet sometimes suffers from anxiety issues. If your dog is one of them, these CBD-infused dog treats can help alleviate their anxiety and give them something tasty to snack on. As for the cat owners, the warming temperatures of spring are a great reminder to plant some catnip for your feline companion.

Jay McKinney is a Colorado native who recently graduated from Metro State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He loves spending time outdoors, playing golf and hiking.