BURTON FLETCHER: Pet holidays during June 2024

Last month, the Valdosta Daily Times graciously published my article announcing pet holidays during May, and I have more of these marketing ideas for pets during June. Pet holidays are now an accepted way of life, and many so-called holidays were invented or overtaken by commercialization.

As I delved into my research, it became apparent that the naming of pet holidays needs to be more consistent, with various purposes attributed to these occasions. For marketing professionals, these holidays are prime opportunities for companies to advertise and gain exposure. It’s all about capturing those valuable “eyeballs,” as we say, in the marketing industry. Let’s explore the potential business opportunities these pet holidays can offer.

Animal shelters and rescue organizations play a crucial role in these pet holidays. By attaching themselves to these made-up holidays, they can increase community awareness and potentially save innocent animals’ lives by reminding the community about proper pet management practices. It’s a collective effort, and each of us has a role to play in ensuring the well-being of our furry friends.

One source — www.happygodoodle.com — provided a list that included June 1st, National Say Something Nice Day. This day suits me as a practicing and dedicated Christian, but I don’t see the connection to furry friends. The same applies to June 2nd, National Running Day, or National Leave the Office Early Day. I know the benefit of encouraging us to practice good health and not overwork, but I cannot go much beyond that.

June 4th is Corgi Day, and when I think of Corgis, I think of the late Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth. I strain to understand why Americans spend so much time focused on the chaos in that dysfunctional and so-called royal family.

June 4th is a special day for cat lovers — it’s National Hug Your Cat Day. While I don’t have any cats, I fondly remember my cats, Princess and Charlie, who brought me immense joy. They were more than just pets; they were family. So, if you’re a cat owner, I encourage you to shower your feline friends with love, not just one day in June, but every day. Let’s celebrate the love and happiness our pets bring into our lives.

On June 8th, we celebrate National Best Friends Day. Reflecting on my lifetime experiences, I’ve found that my animals have been my most loyal and cherished companions. This day resonates with me; I’m sure many pet owners can relatea, and this may be why so many of us in the animal rescue community seem to relate more to animals than we do to our fellow humans. Jesus commanded his followers to “love one another” (John 13:34), which is not always easy.

I am ignoring some of these made-up holidays and don’t understand how they were placed on the calendar. June 14th is International Bath Day. It is much work to bathe and trim dogs’ nails. If you hire someone to do this in your home, it is not cheap, but it is undoubtedly easier than packing animals up in your car and making a trip to the veterinarian or groomer to drop off your pets and then a second trip to pick them up. They smell good after a bath, which is lovely, at least for a few days.

June 17th is National Dog Dad’s Day, and National Eat Your Vegetables Day, with a suggestion that this applies to dogs, too!

June 18th is Veterinary Appreciation Day, and they want us to use the hashtag #veterinarylove. If you are conscientious about your animals, your relationship with your veterinarian is like that with your physician, but probably closer. However, it is an expensive relationship, as large corporations buy up veterinarian practices, just as they buy up accounting practices, funeral homes, rental housing, etc.

I know of two veterinary practices in Valdosta that corporations now own. The same veterinarians are in those practices, but ownership is elsewhere now. Both are well respected and have been very busy for many years.

June 22nd is National Kissing Day. I kiss my dogs frequently and vice versa, so we don’t need a reminder in my household. June 25th is National Take Your Dog to Work Day. I enjoy retirement after decades of hard work in law, college, and later university teaching and various periods of academic administration.

My fur buddies have a perfect life with me, and they have trained me in the same fashion as Pavlov’s Dog, except I don’t salivate at the sound of a bell, but I know when to feed them, let them outside, and let them inside, and so forth. In many ways, they rule my home — and I love it!

Another resource has similar days, but I can relate better to some of these designations at https://www.caninejournal.com/pet-holidays/. National Pet Preparedness Month offers disaster preparation for our animals. For many years, we have felt isolated from hurricanes in Valdosta and Lowndes County, but Hurricane Idalia awakened us to the need to be prepared. We should mark August 30th on our calendars to always remember the impact of Hurricane Idalia on Valdosta on August 30, 2023, and commit ourselves to being better prepared, both for ourselves and our furry friends who rely on us to keep them safe.

On March 27, 2024, we had another severe storm with extensive tree damage. If memory serves, our area had three unusually severe storms in a short period, and we have not been accustomed to such tragedy in our area.

I hope we don’t go through a damaging hurricane or severe storm soon. Still, our city, county, and emergency management leaders and their teams performed magnificently, and I am grateful for their miraculous work in returning our community to what appears to be close to normal. God bless them!

The second week of June is Dog Bite Awareness Week. There are far too many situations where parents leave small children in the presence of dogs that can do severe damage or kill them, so a reminder like this is a good one, though I am not sure it will reach those who need it most. There will always be irresponsible parents, and it saddens me when I think, “People should know better and use common sense,” which is not as common as it should be.

The second Tuesday in June is World Pet Memorial Day, dedicated to helping us grieve for our pets. Far too many people are cavalier about the grief many pet owners feel upon losing a pet that has shared their homes, often for years. I can note from personal experience that it hurts!

The week after Father’s Day is Take Your Pet to Work Week. I wish we made taking pets to work and elsewhere more accessible, but I doubt it will occur anytime soon.

The first week in June is Pet Appreciation Week, and I am okay with this. Pets bring great joy into our lives, but they are a responsibility and a cost that not everyone is capable of handling, and different breeds have different needs, so choose wisely when selecting a pet.

Please always remember that when you turn a pet into the animal shelter, there is a high probability that the animal will be euthanized, so if you must give up a pet, find a good home for it and don’t dump it like a piece of trash to be discarded in our cemetery landfill. Animals have feelings, too!

June 20th is the Ugliest Dog Day. Every dog has its day, and this is that day! The last week of June is Rabbit Awareness Week. While an increasing number of people own rabbits, there is much to know before buying a rabbit, and I do not recommend them in households with young children, dogs, or noisy environments. Yes, you can frighten a rabbit to death! You should read about these unique animals before you bring one home, but please understand what you are getting into before you buy one because they are very different from dogs and cats, and you can quickly kill them if you don’t know what you are doing. You should also know that they do not fare well by themselves.

If you want to know more about pet holidays during June, the internet is flooded with these holidays, so there is no shortage of days, weeks, and months to promote animals and causes of your choosing. I love my pets, and I hope you love yours too. It takes more than love to be a good pet owner; it takes time, patience, money, lifestyle, and other factors to ensure a proper fit between the owner and the pet.

Please educate yourself before deciding to adopt a pet, and always remember that adoption is better than buying because when you adopt, you save the life of the animal you adopt. You save the life of the animal you made space for in the animal shelter. Our shelters kill animals daily due to lack of space, so please keep that in mind when you are thinking about breeding animals and thinking it won’t hurt. It will!