International Dog Day 2022: what is day, how to celebrate, food to treat them with - best quotes about dogs

International Dog Day is a day, observed annually on 26 August, which allows dog owners the opportunity to unashamedly celebrate their furry companions.

While dog owners usually don’t need an excuse or an occasion to spoil their pooches, International Dog Day allows them to do just that.

What is International Dog Day?

The day was founded by Colleen Paige, a pet and lifestyle expert, conservationist, dog trainer and author. You might also know Paige as the founder of a number of other animal related holidays, like National Puppy Day, National Mutt Day, National Cat Day and National Wildlife Day.

The day was created in 2004, and Paige chose 26 August as its the date that her family adopted her first dog from a local animal shelter when she was 10 years old.

How to celebrate

International Dog Day is all about celebrating your dog, with each dog having a unique personality and set of likes and dislikes.

Think about what you know your dog enjoys, and think of ways to spoil them based around those - whether it’s taking them for an extra long walk, playing fetch, buying them a new toy or letting them have that special treat that they don’t get to have very often.

If you don’t have a dog in your life that you can celebrate, but you still want to mark the occasion, there are still loads of things you can do, such as:

• Volunteering at a dog shelter 
• Donating to a dog charity
• Watching films about dogs, like Dog (2022), Isle of Dogs (2018), Marley and Me (2008), A Dog’s Purpose (2017), Hachiko: A Dog’s Tale (2009), Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019), Turner & Hooch (1989), Lassie (2005) 

What food can I treat my dog with?

If you’re looking to treat your dog with some special food this International Dog Day outside of their usual treat rotation, there are a number of human foods that are safe for dogs to have as the occasional treat - and as all dog owners know, there’s nothing pups love more than a bit of human food.

That includes:

• Unsalted cashews
• Cheese (apart from blue cheeses)
• Ham
• Plain popcorn (unsalted and unbuttered)
• Tuna 
• Cooked eggs
• Plain baked white or brown bread 
• Peanut butter (without xylitol)
• Bananas
• Ripe tomatoes (not young green tomatoes)
• Blueberries
• Oranges (peel and seeds removed)
• Watermelon (with seeds and rind removed)
• Pineapple 

These are treats that should be given in moderation and only occasionally - not as a frequent thing or part of their regular diet.

Best quotes about dogs

If you’re looking to share a message in honour of your dog today but don’t quite know how to put your thoughts into words, here are some great quotes about dogs to get you started:

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.”

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”

“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.”

"If you don’t own a dog, at least one, there may not necessarily be anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."

"You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him."

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."

"My fashion philosophy is, if you’re not covered in dog hair, your life is empty."

"Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished."

"The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment."

"No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich."

"Be the person your dog thinks you are."

"The love of a dog is a pure thing. He gives you a trust which is total. You must not betray it."

"Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way."

"Happiness is a warm puppy."