Is National Pet Day a public holiday?

No. It is an unofficial observance, not a federal or public holiday, so it is a normal working day with businesses and schools open.

Who started National Pet Day, and who is Colleen Paige?

It was founded in 2006 by Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert and animal-welfare advocate who also created National Dog Day, National Cat Day, and National Puppy Day.

Is National Pet Day only for dogs and cats?

No. The day was built for many kinds of animals, including fish, reptiles, birds, and small mammals, and millions of US households keep each.

Is National Pet Day the same as Love Your Pet Day?

No, they are separate observances. National Pet Day is April 11 and focuses on adoption and shelter animals, while Love Your Pet Day is February 20 and is about bonding with the pet you already have.

How do you celebrate National Pet Day?

Many people adopt, foster, volunteer at, or donate to a shelter or rescue, in keeping with the day's "Adopt! Don't Shop!" message. Others simply spend extra time celebrating the pets, of any species, already in their lives.

What is the meaning behind National Pet Day?

It celebrates the joy pets bring while raising awareness about the many animals waiting in shelters and rescues, encouraging adoption over buying from mill-supplied pet stores.

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National Pet Day

An advocacy observance on April 11 celebrating the bond with pets of every species and promoting adoption of shelter and rescue animals.

Sunday

April 2027

Last updated February 26, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar Team

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YEARLY DATEApril 11

OBSERVED INUnited States

CATEGORYAnimals

SUBCATEGORYPets

ORIGIN

Individual Initiative

FOUNDING ENTITY

Colleen Paige

FIRST OBSERVED

2006

“Colleen Paige founded the day in 2006 to celebrate all pets and speak for shelter animals waiting on adoption.

HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

One advocate's day for every shelter animal.

National Pet Day was founded in 2006 by pet and family lifestyle expert and animal-welfare advocate Colleen Paige. She built it to celebrate the joy pets bring and to spotlight the many kinds of animals awaiting a home in shelters and rescues, under the motto "Adopt! Don't Shop!"

INTRO

The day that speaks for the fish and the reptiles too

PHOTO

On National Pet Day, "pet" means far more than a dog or a cat. About 10 million US households keep freshwater fish, and millions more share their homes with reptiles, birds, and small mammals.

That breadth is the whole point. The founder built April 11 to speak for "many different kinds of animals" waiting in shelters and rescues, not only the photogenic ones.

The day carries a sharper edge than its cheerful name suggests. Its motto is "Adopt! Don't Shop!", a push toward the animals already sitting in cages and tanks, of every species, hoping someone walks in.

ORIGINS

Pet Day history

INTRODUCTION

The story of this day is really the story of a mission: getting animals out of shelters and into homes. That mission has a measuring stick now, and for the first time the numbers run long enough to mean something.

In 2025, Shelter Animals Count marked ten years of national US sheltering data. It is the first decade-long, apples-to-apples look at whether adoption advocacy actually moves the line.

CHAPTER 01

A cause that needed a champion

American shelters take in millions of dogs and cats each year, and for a long time no one was counting them the same way twice. The animals were real; the data was not.

Welfare advocates pushed adoption as the answer to crowded shelters and to euthanasia. The argument was strong, but it lacked a single day to rally behind and a clear, repeated message to carry it.

CHAPTER 02

Colleen Paige speaks for all of them

That champion turned out to be Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert and animal-welfare advocate. Her case was personal: she grew up rescuing animals and adopted her first shelter dog, a Sheltie, at age 10.

In 2006 she founded National Pet Day, and she meant it broadly. She built the day to speak for many different kinds of animals waiting in shelters and rescues, not just the photogenic ones.

Her ask was practical, too. She urged animal lovers to back the cause with a regular pledge to a favorite shelter or rescue, turning a day of affection into ongoing support.

CHAPTER 03

One day in a growing calendar

National Pet Day did not arrive alone. Paige had already created National Dog Day in 2004, and she launched National Puppy Day the same year as Pet Day.

Where those days spotlight one species, April 11 was built to hold the rest. It is the wide umbrella over a calendar she filled with narrower observances.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why We Love National Pet Day

STAKES

The gap between pets adopted and pets euthanized is the line the day works on.

Every year, far more pets enter US shelters than leave them through adoption, and the ones left behind face euthanasia. National Pet Day exists to widen the adoptions and shrink that gap.

BREADTH

It defends pets most days ignore

The day was founded to advocate for every kind of pet, not just dogs and cats. Reptile and freshwater-fish ownership are among the fastest-growing categories, so the breadth it champions is widening, not fading.

MESSAGE

Its motto points buyers toward shelters

"Adopt! Don't Shop!" tells people to look first at a shelter or a breed-specific rescue. The guidance also steers them away from pet stores supplied by puppy and kitten mills.

BY THE NUMBERS

National Pet Day by the Numbers

5.8M: US shelter intake, 2025
4.2M: Shelter pets adopted, 2025
597K: Shelter pets euthanized, 2025
~95M: US households with a pet
$158B: US pet spending, 2025

GET INVOLVED

How to Celebrate National Pet Day

Adopt from a shelter or rescue

Visit a local shelter or a breed-specific rescue and bring home an animal that needs one. This is the day's core message, captured in its "Adopt! Don't Shop!" motto.

FOSTER

Foster an animal between homes

Sign up to foster a pet waiting for a permanent adopter. Fostering opens a kennel for the next animal and gives a stressed shelter resident time in a real home.

VOLUNTEER

Volunteer a shift at a shelter

Offer a few hours walking dogs, socializing cats, or cleaning enclosures. Shelters run on volunteer labor, especially when intake climbs.

DONATE

Donate to a shelter or rescue

Send money, food, or supplies to a group near you, or set up a small recurring gift. The founder specifically asked supporters to pledge a monthly donation.

CELEBRATE

Celebrate a less typical pet

Spotlight a fish, reptile, bird, or small mammal that rarely gets a holiday. Sharing their care needs honors the day's idea that every species counts.

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