This year’s National Dog Day was held on August 26, 2024, but if you forgot to acknowledge the one-day event you can make up for the oversight by setting aside time later this month to be with your favorite four-legged companion(s) during National Dog Week.
Scheduled during the fourth week of September, National Dog Week takes place this year from the 24th to the 30th. This celebration is not to be confused with National Walk Your Dog Week (October 1-7, 2024), National Train Your Dog Month (January 2024), or the aforementioned National Dog Day. In fact, this month’s week-long observance is one of America’s oldest acknowledgements of the human/canine bond.
Begun in 1928 by a group of dedicated dog fanciers and sportsmen, National Dog Week has been encouraging better standards of dog care throughout the United States for nearly a century. The campaign’s originators envisioned a nation with a home for every dog, better education for dog owners, and fair legislation that supports both dogs and their owners. Although the organization that created the celebration (Dog Owners League of America) no longer exists, the group’s legacy continues in many ways through the efforts of the American Kennel Club and the dedicated members of AKC’s Breed, All-Breed, Companion, and Performance Clubs.
For anyone in search of a little inspiration for celebrating National Dog Week this month, what follows is a brief summary of how two of my favorite canines spent National Dog Day with two of their favorite humans.
For this year’s National Dog Day (and to celebrate my Irish Water Spaniel’s newly acquired championship), my three-year-old and I joined her littermate and his owner for a hike through the beautiful woodlands of Western Pennsylvania. We spent the day walking along trails surrounded by mature trees that shaded the mountain laurel and forest ferns from the midday sun. The light that filtered through the leaves danced along a lightly worn path where the dogs dashed quickly out of sight, only to return time and time again to find out why their humans couldn’t keep up the pace.
As my hiking partner and I enjoyed the scenery, our dogs no doubt experienced the hike more completely, following various sounds and scents that went largely undetected by us. Although we did hear songbirds and caught a glimpse of a whitetail doe with her spotted fawns, the dogs surely sensed every forest creature that had spent the night in the vicinity. The only additional telltale signs of the local wildlife that we could find were a recent deposit made by a black bear and the very still body of a dearly departed raccoon. (Both of which seemed irresistible to my new champion who wanted nothing more than to roll around in both!)
The trail we followed eventually led us to the edge of a winding creek, but our arrival disturbed a group of American black ducks sunning themselves on the water. As the waterfowl took flight, a large black shadow appeared menacingly on the water’s surface. Looking up, we saw a turkey vulture gliding quietly just a few yards above our heads, attracted perhaps by the fragrant raccoon. As the sailing scavenger glided out of sight, our dogs took turns retrieving a ball from the water, delighted by the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in their natural, breed-specific environment.
Our stop along the water’s edge was further rewarded by the arrival of more birds in search of breakfast. A great blue heron appeared suddenly in the air, following the vulture’s flightpath, and a belted kingfisher dove quickly and repeatedly for the small fish that remained largely hidden among the rocks and boulders that littered portions of the creek. And after a dozen or more retrieves by the dogs, another shadow appeared on the water. Looking up again, we were delighted to see a bald eagle gliding along the same path taken by the heron and the vulture. Apparently, we’d stopped along the perfect flyway for both an impromptu retrieving session and a bit of early morning birdwatching; an ideal location for two bird dogs and their people.
This year’s National Dog Day provided another opportunity to appreciate the unbreakable bond that we all share with our dogs—and with the natural world. As owners of sporting dogs, my friend and I were able to enjoy our canine companions in a setting that utilized their senses (and their instincts) unrestricted. The rewards for the dogs were obvious, but the joy we experienced, watching them plow through the underbrush, leap over fallen logs, and dive into the water, was no less significant. I would have been just as delighted by my dog in those moments even if she didn’t have that CH in front of her registered name.
If you’re thinking about celebrating National Dog Week with your dog (or dogs), consider simply spending time together doing something you both genuinely enjoy. Maybe that’s training. Maybe it’s running. Maybe it’s just sitting on the front porch watching the sun set. You’re sure to be reminded why you’ve given so much to the dogs in your life—and how much they’ve given you in return.
