International Dog Day
Next: August 26, 2027
For every good dog, everywhere.
The story
Where it comes from
International Dog Day, known in the United States as National Dog Day, falls on 26 August. It was founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, an American animal-welfare advocate and pet lifestyle writer. She chose the date because it was the day her family adopted their first dog, Sheltie, from the local animal shelter when she was ten. The day celebrates dogs of every kind, mixed breed and pure, and asks people to remember the many dogs still waiting in shelters for a home.
How it's celebrated
Owners share photos, take their dogs on a longer walk or treat them to a new toy. Shelters and rescue groups use the day to introduce dogs looking for families, and many people donate or volunteer. The day also honours working dogs, which guide people who are blind, support people with disabilities, and help police and rescue teams find what humans cannot.
Did you know
- Colleen Paige also founded National Puppy Day and National Cat Day.
- New York State adopted the day into its legislation in 2013.
- In Tokyo the Akita dog Hachikō met Professor Hidesaburō Ueno at Shibuya Station each evening, and kept waiting there for almost ten years after the professor died in 1925; a bronze statue of him has stood outside the station since 1948.
Coming up next
- World Lake Day · August 27, 2027
- Goethe's Birthday · August 28, 2027
- Faraday Makes Electricity from Magnetism · August 29, 2027
- National Sports Day (India) · August 29, 2027
- Mary Shelley's Birthday · August 30, 2027
- Hari Merdeka · August 31, 2027