When is National Make a Dog’s Day?

The next occurence will be on October 22nd, 2025. The last occurence was on October 22nd, 2024.

National Make a Dog’s Day (October 22nd)

Q: What are the hashtags for National Make a Dog’s Day?

##MakeADogsDay, #NationalMakeaDogsDay

Quick facts
When is it?	Every October 22nd
Tagged as:	Animals Dogs Helping Others
What are the hashtags?	#MakeADogsDay #NationalMakeaDogsDay
When was it founded?	2019
Who founded it?	Subaru of America
We first published this page on:	Oct 16th, 2023
We last updated this page:	Oct 16th, 2023

Sure, life can be pretty good. But couldn’t life be just a little bit better with a dog to share it with?! Since approximately 44% of households in the United States today have a dog as a pet, there are obviously a lot of canine-lovers out there who would agree. And this is certainly a reason to celebrate!

National Make a Dog’s Day is an ideal opportunity to show some extra love and affection to that cute little pup. And for those who are thinking of adding a dog to the family, this is the time to remember the benefits of adopting a dog from a shelter in lieu of buying from a breeder.

History of National Make a Dog’s Day

National Make a Dog’s Day was started in 2019 by the car company, Subaru of America, with the purpose of focusing on the care of animals as well as drawing attention to the company’s partnership with the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). As part of the original celebration of the day, Subaru pledged to help out with the needs of animals by working with charity lists through Amazon Smile, donating up to $250,000.

One of the important purposes behind National Make a Dog’s Day is raising awareness about the fact that there are already so many amazing dogs that are alive and waiting for adoption. This event encourages people to find the right dog among those who already need a home, rather than buying from a breeder.

Those who are excited about dogs as well as animal rights will love getting on board with the celebrations revolving around National Make a Dog’s Day!

How to Celebrate National Make a Dog’s Day

Have tons of fun with friends, both human and canine, by celebrating National Make a Dog’s Day. Get on board with the day by coming up with some fun new ideas and activities, or by implementing some of these:

Learn About the Needs of Dogs

One of the motivations behind Make a Dog’s Day is for humans to get more informed about the needs of dogs and then get more involved with helping to meet those needs. Consider and share some of these statistics provided in light of the day:

More than 3 million dogs enter into shelters in the United States every year, which equals one dog every ten seconds.
Only 2 million dogs are adopted by loving families each year, leaving hundreds of thousands of dogs to be euthanized.
Many dogs that enter shelters are lost from their households and as many as 800,000 or more are successfully returned to their owners by the shelters.
While 34% of dogs that are acquired each year are purchased from breeders, only 23% of dogs are obtained as a rescue from an animal shelter.

Consider Adopting a Dog

One of the best ways to celebrate Make a Dog’s Day is to really and truly make their day by taking them home and allowing them to become part of the family. Dogs that are adopted from shelters typically cost less than those coming from a breeder. And it can transform the life of this amazing creature that simply has tons of love to give!

Learn About the Benefits of Dogs

Make a dog’s day by rescuing one from a shelter and letting it become part of the family! Besides being super cute and man’s best friend, take a look at some of these other science-based benefits that having a dog offers:

Companionship

Dogs make people feel less alone, preventing isolation and loneliness.
Live Longer

Some studies have shown that dog owners tend to have healthier hearts, with lowered blood pressure and reduced stress, and are likely to live longer.
Help in Crisis

Dog owners with trauma or PTSD may find that their negative stress response to crisis is lower due to their relationship with their dog.
Healthy Exercise

People who own dogs have no choice but to get up and out of the house and get moving.

Create a Dog’s Day Playlist

Get into the groove of National Make a Dog’s Day by crafting a set of tunes on Spotify, Apple or another music platform. When building a fun playlist, consider some of these fun songs about dogs that would be appropriate on a soundtrack for the day:

I Love My Dog by Cat Stevens (1967)
Little Boys Grow Up and Dogs Get Old by Luke Bryan (2015)
Man of the Hour by Norah Jones (2007)
Who Let the Dogs Out by Baha Men (2000)

For other incredible days throughout the year that celebrate these amazing canine companions and friends, consider joining in with National Walking the Dog Day in February, National Hug Your Dog Day in April, or National Dog Day, which is celebrated in late August.