National Pet Day Reminder
National Pet Day is coming up on April 11 — a prompt to celebrate your animals or support local shelters via donations or volunteering (weartv.com). Local shelters often run special adoption drives and reduced fees around the day, so it’s a good window to adopt or help (weartv.com).
National Pet Day was created by animal‑welfare advocate Colleen Paige in 2006 as an annual observance to promote pet adoption and highlight animal‑welfare needs. (nationalpetday.co) Shelter Animals Count reports an estimated 5.8 million cats and dogs entered U.S. shelters and rescues in 2024. (shelteranimalscount.org) Best Friends’ 2024 analysis put the national shelter “save rate” at about 82% for that year. (bestfriends.org) Best Friends also estimated roughly 425,000 cats and dogs were killed in U.S. shelters in 2024, underscoring why adoption drives and fee‑waived events remain common. (bestfriends.org) National programs such as BISSELL Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters provide reimbursement to participating organizations for each adoption and run large, fee‑reduction campaigns. (bissellpetfoundation.org) PetSmart Charities reports it has helped facilitate more than 11 million adoptions through its partner network and in‑store events. (petsmartcharities.org) Online tools and networks that list local adoption events and available animals include Petfinder’s adoption listings, Petco Love Adopt’s event search, and Shelter Animals Count’s national dashboard of intake and outcomes. (petfinder.com)
