August 26th is National Dog Day, founded by pet expert Colleen Paige. Of course, If you’re a doting dog parent, every day feels like dog day in your home. Our canine companions shower us with love, affection, and laughs all year round. Today, we’re reflecting on a few reasons why dogs are truly extraordinary and why we’re so lucky to call them our best friends.

1. Dogs save lives. There are endless ways dogs have worked alongside humans in the military, search and rescue, and medical fields to save lives. One example is how a dog can use their sense of smell to hone in on biomarkers that indicate disease. Dogs can be trained to sniff out diabetes, cancer, coronavirus, Parkinson’s, and other illnesses as accurately and in some cases more accurately than traditional medical tests. On a smaller scale, countless humans credit their dogs for brightening their days and saving their life just by being their friend.

2. Dogs have superpowers. It’s hard to imagine how dogs take in the world around them, with a sense of smell that’s up to 10,000 times more powerful than a human’s and the ability to hear up to four times farther away than we can. There’s also evidence that their sense of smell is connected to their vision, so they may even “see” with their nose. Keep your dog’s super senses in mind next time they’re not listening to you at the park - they’re overwhelmed with a vivid barrage of sensory input that we can only dream of.

3. Dogs truly understand us. If you feel as though your dog seems to understand when you need extra cuddles, shares your joy, and knows when you’re not happy, it’s not your imagination. There’s plenty of scientific research that supports the notion that dogs pay close attention to their humans’ body language, facial expressions, and even the chemical makeup of our sweat. But if you know, you know - dogs just get us.

4. Dogs are our oldest friends. Dogs are not only our best friends, they’re our first and oldest friends. Domesticated at least 32,000 years ago according to archaeological discoveries in Predmosti (ancient Czech Republic) burial grounds, they’re believed to have been a part of our lives before we domesticated horses, cattle, and even cats.

5. Dogs still need our help. Dogs do so much for us, and in return, they depend on us to give them food, shelter, and lots of love. So many of them are still waiting in shelters, rescues, and foster homes in hopes of finding a forever family. As many as 3 million dogs enter shelters each year in the United States alone, from puppies to seniors, toy breeds to giant breeds, mixed breeds, and even purebred dogs, there’s a match for just about any home that has room for one more.

To Celebrate National Dog Day…
Consider visiting your local shelter or humane society. If it’s not a good time for you to adopt, you can support dogs in need by volunteering skills like cleaning, grooming, training, photography, social media, and of course walking and general care. You can also donate to support medical and food expenses, or even foster a dog while they await their forever home.