Marketing for Dog Businesses - How and when to use pet celebration days
There are so many International this day, National that day, nowadays that it’s hard to decide what you should include in your marketing plan because let’s face it, if you celebrated every day you’d not get a lot of work done!
So unless you have a pet business that’s all about low low price and high volume (think DFS all year round sale!) you will need to get a plan in place as to how and what dates to use to promote your business
So where should we start?
Your Ideal Customer. Who are your ideal customers and what would THEY be interested in? Do they gravitate towards a certain dog breed, are they more likely to own a rescue dog than a pedigree dog? Do they perceive themselves as a dog parent or is the dog just that, a dog?
Next in the planning stage is to find celebration dates that align with your business’ brand and ethos. Are you all about making charitable donations to rescue homes? Maybe you’ve launched a range of eco products to your product range? Are you an advocate for dog well being?
Thirdly you’ll want to find if there are celebration days linked directly to the services you offer - for example July 26th in National Dog Photography day, is there a National Dress up your dog day (yes there is, January 14th) if you sell bandanas and bows, is there a National treat your dog day (close enough, National spoil your dog day is August 10th) for a business that sells dog treats… and so on
Tying in on this theme, you may want to shout out to the pet businesses you partner with on their celebration days, a great excuse to talk about great services you have received.
Finally, when looking through the huge long lists of pet celebration day that you can easily find with a Google search, which days resonate with you personally? (Sticks hand in the air - National Dachshund day is celebrated on the longest day of the year (but of course!), I’m going to be all over that!) YOU are a HUGE part of the reason people will buy from your business so be authentic and share celebration days that tickle your fancy
I’ve copy and pasted every celebration day I can find into this post below, I am absolutely NOT going to be using all of them but you can see which dates are important to me and my business by downloading my "Pet Celebration Day planner" pdf - some of the dates will hopefully resonate with you and your business and sharing my list with you will hopefully help you to visualise what's important to you in YOUR business
Your complete guide to National & International pet celebration days
JANUARY
- National Train Your Dog Month
- Unchain a Dog Month
- Walk Your Pet Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- Jan. 1: New Year’s Day
- Jan. 2: National Pet Travel Safety Day
- Jan. 14: National Dress Up Your Pet Day
- Jan. 24: Change a Pet’s Life Day
- Jan. 25: National Fun At Work Day
- Jan. 29: Seeing Eye dog anniversary
FEBRUARY
- Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
- Dog Training Education Month
- International Hoof Care Month
- National Cat Health Month
- National Prevent a Litter Month
- Responsible Pet Owners Month
- Pet dental health month
- Spay/Neuter Awareness Month (“Beat the Heat” month)
Special Days/Holidays:
- Feb. 2: Groundhog Day
- Feb. 3: National Golden Retriever Day
- Feb. 3: Annual Doggy Date Night
- Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day
- Feb. 14: Pet Theft Awareness Day
- Feb. 20: Love Your Pet Day
- Feb. 22: National Walk Your Dog Day
- Feb. 23: International dog biscuit day
- Feb. 23: World Spay Day
MARCH
- Poison Prevention Awareness Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- March 3: If Pets Had Thumbs Day
- March 13: K-9 Veterans Day
- March 14: National Save a Spider Day
- March 23: National Puppy Day
- March 28: Respect Your Cat Day
- March 30: Take a Walk in the Park Day
APRIL
- Canine Fitness Month
- National Adopt a Greyhound Month
- National Heartworm Awareness Month
- National Pet First Aid Awareness Month
- National Pet Month (UK)
- Prevent Lyme disease in dogs Month
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- April 3: Every Day Is Tag Day
- April 8: National Dog Fighting Awareness Day
- April 10: National Hug Your Dog Day
- April 11: National Pet Day
- April 11: Celebrate Shelter Pets Day
- April 11: Dog Therapy Appreciation Day
- April 21: Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day
- April 22: Earth Day
- April 23: National Lost Dog Awareness Day
- April 24: World Veterinary Day
- April 25: National Pet Parents Day
- April 27: National Little Pampered Dog Day
- April 28: International Guide Dog Day
- April 30: Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
- April 30: National Therapy Animal Day
- April 30: Hairball Awareness Day (apparently that's really a thing!!)
MAY
- Chip Your Pet Month
- Lyme Disease Prevention Month
- National Foster Care Month
- National Pet Month
- Pet Cancer Awareness Month
- Pet Sitter Safety Month
- Responsible Animal Guardian Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- May 1: National Purebred Dog Day
- May 2: Mayday for Mutts
- May 3: National Specially-abled Pets Day
- May 8: Vet Nurse Day
- May 8: National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day
- May 8: National Dog Mom’s Day
- May 9: Mother’s Day
- May 14: International Chihuahua Appreciation Day
- May 20: National Rescue Dog Day
JUNE
- National Foster a Pet Month
- National Microchipping Month
- National Pet Preparedness Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- June 8: Best Friends Day
- June 8: World Pet Memorial Day
- June 21: National Dog Party Day
- June 25: Take Your Dog to Work Day
JULY
- National Lost Pet Prevention Month
- National Pet Hydration Awareness Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- July 1: ID Your Pet Day
- July 4: Independence Day
- July 5: Pet Remembrance Day
- July 15: National Pet Fire Safety Day
- July 21: National Craft for Your Local Shelters Day
- July 21: No Pet Store Puppies Day
- July 25: National Parents Day
- July 26: National Dog Photography Day
- July 31: National Mutt Day
AUGUST
- National Immunization Awareness Month
- National Wellness Month
- Rawgust (celebrating raw feeding for pets)
Special Days/Holidays:
- Aug. 1: DOGust Universal Birthday for Shelter Dogs
- Aug. 4: Assistance Dog Day
- Aug. 5: Work Like a Dog Day
- Aug. 10: Spoil Your Dog Day
- Aug. 15: National Check the Chip Day
- Aug. 16: St. Roch’s Day (a patron saint of dogs)
- Aug. 21: International Homeless Animals Day
- Aug. 23: International Blind Dog Day
- Aug. 26: National Dog Day
- Aug. 28: Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day
- Aug. 30: National Holistic Pet Day
SEPTEMBER
- Animal Pain Awareness Month
- National Disaster Preparedness Month
- National Pet Insurance Month
- National Service Dog Month
- Pet Sitter Education Month
- Responsible Dog Ownership Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- Sept. 8: National Dog Walker Appreciation Day
- Sept. 12: National Pet Memorial Day
- Sept. 12: National Hug Your Hound Day
- Sept. 13: Pet Birth Defect Awareness Day
- Sept. 18: Puppy Mill Awareness Day
- Sept. 18: AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day
- Sept. 25: World’s Largest Pet Walk
- Sept. 28: World Rabies Day
OCTOBER
- Adopt-A-Dog Month (American Humane Association)
- National Animal Safety and Protection Month
- National Pet Wellness Month
- National Pit Bull Awareness Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- Oct. 1: National Black Dog Day
- Oct. 4: World Animal Day
- Oct. 4: World Pets Day
- Oct. 13: Pet Obesity Awareness Day
- Oct. 17: National Fetch Day
- Oct. 30: National Pit Bull Awareness Day
NOVEMBER
- Adopt a Senior Pet Month
- National Pet Awareness Month
- National Senior Pet Month
- Pet Cancer Awareness Month (AVMA)
- Pet Diabetes Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- Nov. 7: National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day
- Nov. 17: Take a Hike Day
- Nov. 20: National Adoption Day
DECEMBER
- Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Special Days/Holidays:
- Dec. 2: National Mutt Day (again)
- Dec. 9: International Day of Veterinary Medicine
- Dec. 17: Underdog Day
Meet Helen & Mash!
Mash, my miniature dachshund, has brought so much to my life, he's my fur baby, my best buddy and my loyal companion - and he's a right little monster (but if you're also a dachshund owner you'll know that already!)
You'll know, as a dog owner yourself, how much they teach us - patience, understanding, care, responsibility - all of these things are what allows me to give you the very best photo experience for you and your dog!
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