Bark, Meow, Tweet! It’s National Pet Day

Here are four ways to celebrate your furry friends!

If you’re a pet owner, you know there’s no other bond like the one you have with your furry friend. Whether it’s a dog, cat, a bird or even a ferret, the companionship and unconditional love they provide is unique.

That’s one of the reasons why April 11 is National Pet Day in the U.S. It began back in 2006 when Colleen Paige, an animal welfare advocate, wanted to bring more attention to pets in need who were waiting in shelters to be adopted. “Don’t shop! Adopt!” is still the motto today. It’s estimated that 6.3 million cats and dogs enter shelters every year, making this an important, ongoing issue – and an even more important day of awareness and appreciation for animals.

As a pet business owner, whether you design and craft collars or sell special treats, you can play a part in pairing these sweet souls with their furever families on this day (and every day). Here are just a few of the ways your business can help…

1. 1. Social Media

   The easiest and most valuable way you can celebrate National Pet Day is by using social media to spread awareness. You can make a post using the hashtag #NationalPetDay and show ways your customers can get involved in animal rights and adoption campaigns. Or you could use it to draw importance to issues shelters and animals are facing today. The content doesn’t need to be sad, but it should bring some attention to the cause and definitely encourage followers to open their hearts and homes to these loving creatures.

1. 2. Turn Profits into Proceeds

   Another way you can help is by setting up a specific promo code with a certain percentage of proceeds going to a local shelter or cause. You could use NATIONAL PET DAY as the code for example. Customers will love the opportunity to give back, especially when shopping for things they already need for their own furry friend!

1. 3. Bring in a Shelter Expert – and Lots of Sweet Animals

   A great opportunity to help educate your community is by bringing a local shelter expert into your store or perhaps partnering with a local school or civic group for an open forum and/or adoption event. They could show some of the animals they have available, explain the adoption or foster process, or simply answer questions to help educate the community and garner new animal advocates. Sometimes adoption may not seem appealing to someone because it may seem complicated, but an expert can explain how simple it really is.

1. 4. Host a Donation Event

   Another way to help spread awareness of the cause is by hosting a donation event. We all have toys our pets no longer play with – or maybe weren’t fans of to begin with. Perhaps they were gifted one they already have or got tired of one ball because they got a new squeakier one. And how many times do pet owners buy way too much of a food their fur babies just don’t like or eventually grow tired of eating every day? These, along with blankets, towels, potty pads, and bowls, are great items to donate to a shelter where supplies are so desperately needed. All you need to do is post a sign and set up a box where supplies can be dropped off. You can even gift some of your own shop items if you’re feeling extra generous!

   There are so many other ways to give back. For more information on how to help, we encourage you to contact local shelters or visit their websites to see how your business can be there for them.

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Editor’s Note:

A printer malfunction should be the last of your worries when you’re setting up an event, labeling donations to ensure they get to the right location, or printing flyers promoting your business or the cause. Get to know the easy-to-use Zebra ZSB Series Printers here

And for more creative ideas on how your business can support your community, check out our other ZSB blog posts.