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The first week of October marks a special event for animal lovers and pet owners across the country - it's Animal Welfare Week! Running from Sunday, October 6th to Saturday, October 12th, Animal Welfare Week celebrates the bond between humans and animals while also promoting animal welfare.
What is Animal Welfare Week?
Animal Welfare Week was launched in 1979 by the American Humane Association as a way to highlight the importance of society's responsibility toward animals. The week promotes the humane treatment of animals while also educating the public about animal adoption, the prevention of cruelty to animals, and the duty we have to look out for the wellbeing of pets and wildlife.
Over the decades, Animal Welfare Week has become a staple nationwide event uniting animal welfare organizations, veterinary associations, schools, businesses and individuals around our common goal of protecting animals. The week not only celebrates animals but brings attention to important animal welfare issues impacting our communities.
How to Get Involved
There are many ways for both individuals and organizations to get involved with Animal Welfare Week festivities:
- Adopt a pet. Animal shelters and rescue groups hold special adoption events, highlighting the animals in their care most in need of loving homes. Opening your home to a shelter pet saves a life.
- Lend a helping hand at your local animal shelter or rescue group. Volunteers are always needed for activities like dog walking, socializing cats, gardening, facility maintenance and more.
- Monetary contributions and supplies like pet food, blankets and toys are always appreciated by animal welfare nonprofits stretched thin on resources. You can even host a fundraising event.
- Use the week as a teaching opportunity - explain to children in your life how to properly and compassionately interact with animals. Lessons on pet care build empathy.
- Speak up against animal cruelty by supporting anti-cruelty legislation or reporting abused animals to authorities. Use your voice on behalf of animals.
- Appreciate pets. Show extra love to the animals already in your life - spend more quality time together and consider treating them to a fun new toy, delicious treats or a trip to the groomers.
Major Animal Welfare Events and Campaigns
A number of established nationwide events fall under the Animal Welfare Week umbrella or tie their messaging to the week in order to boost engagement:
World Animal Day
October 4 Held on the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, World Animal Day aims to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. An international team of volunteer organizers coordinate public events and campaign initiatives encouraging benevolent treatment.
National Feral Cat Day
October 16 With upwards of 30-40 million free-roaming unowned domestic cats estimated to live in the United States, National Feral Cat Day spotlights the lives of these resilient yet vulnerable felines and promotes TNR (trap-neuter-return) programs as a humane approach to managing populations.
National Pit Bull Awareness Day
October 28 This day challenges the unfair stereotypes wrongly associated with pit bull-type dogs and celebrates the affectionate, loyal companions pit bulls can make when responsibly cared for - highlighting success stories as breeding advocates work toward reforming public perceptions.
Additional notable animal welfare campaigns aligned with Animal Welfare Week address pressing issues like reining in puppy mills, reducing euthanasia rates of healthy adoptable shelter pets, providing care for retired lab animals, protecting iconic wildlife species threatened by endangerment, and more as nonprofits nationwide leverage the week's momentum to further their ongoing missions.
Get Out and Help Animals in Need
Animal Welfare Week serves as an uplifting reminder of the kinship between humans and animals while motivating us to take action. Our communities, and pets across the country counting on us, need our compassion and voices to aid animal welfare. This early October, get involved in making the world better for animals!
