We’ve all heard of President’s Day, Labor Day and other holidays apparently celebrated by retailers putting all trucks and mattresses on sale — but did you know there’s a National Cereal Day? Or a National Worship of Tools Day? Another holiday, coming this month on March 23, is National Puppy Day, though it’s not merely about cuddles. Founded by pet expert and lifestyle author Colleen Paige in 2006, it was created to help save orphaned puppies around the globe and educate the public about the horrors of puppy mills.
Marin Humane is marking the occasion with a pet first-aid and CPR class on its Novato campus. The hands-on workshop teaches basic canine lifesaving techniques and emergency preparedness, including rescue breathing, restraint and muzzling, choking management, poison response and more. In addition, some Marin libraries this month will hold Share a Book events, in which children improve literacy skills by reading to four-legged friends. Of course, you can always adopt a pup — Marin Humane places around 50 dogs every month. Here are other local shelter stats.
The three main reasons dogs and puppies arrive at Marin Humane:
- 45% are surrendered by their owner, most commonly due to a relocation or move
- 38% are transferred from overcrowded or underfunded shelters in other counties
- 17% are unclaimed strays
This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine's print edition with the headline: "Dog Days".
