January Dog Holiday Menu
(Click Holiday to Navigate to Section)
Month-Long Holidays
Week-Long Holidays – None
Daily Holidays
- January 1 – New Year’s Day – Federal
- January 2 – National Pet Travel Safety Day
- January 14 – National Dress Up Your Pet Day
- January 20 – Martin Luther King Day – Federal
- January 24 – Change a Pet’s Life Day
- January 29 – Seeing Eye Guide Dog Birthday
DOG HOLIDAYS IN JANUARY
The bulk of the major holidays are in your rearview mirror and you are celebrating the start of the new year. You have declared your new year’s resolutions for better health, more money and various other goals that you might want to accomplish this year.
Did you make resolutions that include your dog? Many of the dog-friendly holidays in January might get you off to a great start for fitness, training, guidance and even make you aware of travel safety and protecting other dogs around you.
As the winter months are in full force, make sure you are also aware of many of the hazards for your dogs that may come with the blustery days ahead.
This may include that jacket or sweater for light coated dogs to keep down frostbite and hyperthermia.
Bringing that outside dog inside where it is warm or at the least to provide them with shelter, unfrozen water and plenty of food.
Other precautions to remember for this time of year result in considering a pair of boots to keep those paws safe from ice, salt, and chemicals.
Make sure you are aware of the hazards of antifreeze and window washer fluids as they contain Methanol and ethylene glycol, as explained by vetstreet.com, which can become deadly for dogs even in small quantities.
People love celebrating so now that we discovered many of the hazards that dogs may face, let’s move on and find out what is on your dog’s agenda for the month of January.
If you know of another dog holiday that I need to add to this list let me know either by email or post it in the comments below.
I would love to know what dog holidays in January you plan to celebrate with your dog. Let me know what and how you plan to celebrate with your dog in the comments below.
WHAT'S ON THIS WEEKS CALENDAR?
May 3rd - 9th - Be Kind To animals Week
Be Kind To Animals Week celebrated annually the first full week on May is a campaign designed to teach all people, including children to be kind to all animals.
May 9th - National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day
Are you prepared for a disaster/crisis/emergency? Celebrated annually, the second Saturday in April is always National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day. Let's get prepared!
DOG HOLIDAYS In January
Let’s Celebrate! Find out more about what holidays are in store for you and your dog to celebrate in January. Make sure to get connected and have the holidays delivered to your email. Check out the list below.
Get Involved – Do you know any holidays that should be on this list?
What Is On the Agenda This Month?
Walk Your Dog Month – Let’s get ready and start walking
Walk Your Dog Month is celebrated throughout the entire month of January to help remind us of the importance of walking your dog and getting the exercise they need.
How it originated – I was not able to find anything conclusive on the origination of this month-long observance or who created it; however, it is quite popular and a great way to help us remember that walking our dog is an important factor in our dog’s health and ours too.
I am thinking that is exactly why January was the perfect month to celebrate to help us remember to walk our dogs even when it is cold out.
Dogs enjoy our company and walking your dog is a great time to spend good quality time with them.
Spending time with them also help to create and nurture that human-dog bond with our four-legged friend.
Walking your dog daily keeps them better fit and according to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention, 56.8% of dogs are overweight or obese in a study in 2018.
Another great reason to celebrate Walk Your Dog Month is to help your dog burn off some of the pend up energy that may develop in the winter months.
How to celebrate – If you are living in a colder climate, I would suggest dressing warm before setting out for your walk and throw a coat on your dog too and maybe even some boots especially if there is snow on the ground.
It is recommended to walk your dog for at least 30 minutes, this can be in your neighborhood, park or wherever you and your dog like to walk.
Hazards – We all know that walking especially at night can be dangerous, so it is best to always have some type of reflective gear as you are walking your dog.
Walk in a safe place and know your surroundings, are other dogs present that might cause a threat?
With the colder temperatures in January, bundle up and know that your dog’s pads can be affected by snow, ice, and salt.
Gifts for dogs – Collar, leash, coat, boots just about anything that will help your dog on your walk.
National Train Your Dog Month – Are you ready to start training?
National Train Your Dog Month is a month-long campaign celebrated in January to help new pet parents understand the benefits of training their dog and turn them into healthy and happy companions.
Why Celebrate – During the holidays’ many families add a new dog or puppy to their families. January seems like the best possible time to hit the ground running to create awareness in training and socialization for that new furry friend.
Celebrating a month of training your dog just may keep some of those furry friends from ending up in the animal shelter due to behavior and training issues. We would all like to keep as many dogs and puppies in great homes and if training helps, let the celebration begin.
How to celebrate – Ready to start training your dog, this is the best way to help celebrate Train Your Dog Month. Set aside some time each day to work one-on-one with your dog and have some fun.
Dogs love to learn, many times they just need some direction, patients and a positive training approach. Training your dog at home is a great way to start.
Another way to celebrate during the month of January is enrolling that special dog in a training class or finding a professional trainer.
One of the best ways to celebrate this month-long holiday is by sharing National Train Your Dog Month to help promote awareness with family friends. January is a great time to start, so let’s get training!
Hazards – Training off-leash in a non-secure area, your dog might run away and get lost or get hit by a car. Another hazard that comes to mind may be using too many of the wrong kind of training treats leading to obesity and can be unhealthy for your dog.
Gifts for dogs – No-pull harness, leash, training toys, and treats, lots of the right treats.
Unchain a Dog Month – This is no life for a loyal companion
According to Peta.org, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, January is Unchain A Dog Month advocating for people to bring their dogs in from the cold. Some people believe that dogs have fur so they stay warm, that is not true, they get cold just like we do.
How it originated – There are many different organizations that declare different holidays and this one is no different. Peta.org is advocating for Unchain A Dog Month to run the whole month of January in hope that people will help those chained dogs live a better life.
How to celebrate – As the months grow colder we need to get the word out that even the little things we can do to help dogs living a life on a chain can improve their lives.
If you happen to know of a dog living life on a chain ask the owners if you can help out by taking the dog for walks or bringing it treats and toys, the dog would love to have the company and a walk would be great for them both mentally and physically.
If you know of a dog living life on a chain without shelter water and food, know that there are laws in place to protect these types of dogs, so let the authorities know about the situation.
Make sure you share the awareness for Unchain A Dog Month with family and friends to help advocate for these dogs with no voice.
Hazards – Unchain A Dog Month is all about avoiding the hazards that come with leaving a dog outside on a chain. During the cold winter months, a dog can suffer from frostbite, dehydration, and even death.
Gifts for dogs – The best gift of all is for the dog to be able to go inside where it is warm; however, if you cannot offer that then lots of hugs, treats, toys, walks and make sure they have plenty of food, water, and shelter.
January 1st –
New Year’s Day – Federal
A great day to spend ringing in the New Year and what better way to celebrate than with a dog. This is the day to set New Years Resolutions for the year to come and enjoy what the New Year has to offer.
January 2
National Pet Travel Safety Day – Keeping our furry friends safe while you travel.
We all love taking our dogs on errands and even trips to exciting places while on vacation to spend more quality time with our four-legged buddies. January 2 is a perfect day to celebrate National Pet Travel Safety Day to make everyone aware of how important it is to keep your pets safe while traveling.
Why Celebrate – Keeping our dogs safe is important to many dog parents and increasing the awareness of how to keep them safe while traveling is a great concern.
As we know there are many products out there that claim to help keep our dogs safe in the car; however, crash tests at the Center for Pet Safety a not for profit organization, show that many of the restraints out on the market are not as safe as we think.
In an accident, your dog can become a projectile and get hurt or hurt others in the vehicle. They can also become a distraction to the driver.
We have to buckle up while riding in a car and it is best that your dog does too, it can be a matter of life or death for your dog.
How to celebrate – Our dogs love to spend time with us so what better way to celebrate National Pet Travel Safety Day taking your dog for a ride in the car safely and securely.
January 2 is also a great day to spend researching ways to keep your dog safe while traveling, maybe you have a vacation planned for later in the year or a trip that you plan to take your furry friend along. How are you going to keep your dog safe?
Make sure you share the awareness for National Pet Travel Safety Day with family and friends to help increase the need for our dogs to travel safely and securely.
Hazards – As we have discussed above it is important as dog parents to keep our dogs safe while traveling. In doing my research for National Pet Travel Safety Day, I realized that my dogs were not as safe as we thought, becoming aware of the hazards and understanding how to keep our dogs safe is important to me and I am sure many of you out there feel the same way.
One other thing I feel we need to point out when talking about hazards is never restraining your dog in a car by a collar, always use a harness, if you do get into an accident using a collar all the pressure from the impact is on your dogs neck, so as you see it is much better to advise to use a harness that will distribute the impact across your dogs chest instead.
Gifts for dogs – After investigating the crash tests and seeing how the different harnesses stand up to the impact of a car accident, I feel the Sleepypod Clickit Utility Safety Harness would make a great gift for our dogs.
January 14
National Dress Up Your Pet Day – Did you adopt a dog and ready for some spiffy new threads?
My understanding of National Dress Up Your Pet Day is all about adopting those less fortunate dogs that have not found their furever home and having fun designating a day to dress up our dogs in unique and fashionable attire.
How it originated – This holiday celebrated by many dog parents originated back in 2009 by Colleen Paige a pet and family lifestyle expert to help spread awareness of those less fortunate unwanted dogs in the hope they will find furever homes. This is a great tactic, with all the oos and ahs who could resist all those cute outfits and smiling faces of dogs on this special day.
Making people aware of those pets looking for homes, we found that awareness does help as in a survey conducted in 2017-2018 by the APPS through animalsheltering.org there were approximately 44% of dogs in our homes that were adopted from a shelter or rescue and as more people become aware the hope is that these numbers continue to grow.
It breaks my heart to know there are dogs out there that do not have the love of a family and feel taking the day to dress up your dog is a great way to celebrate and share the awareness to help these deserving dogs find great homes.
How to celebrate – Get creative and dress your four-legged friends in their best dress or unique costume for the day and make sure to snap that picture and share it on social media. This is a great way to show others that pets are family members and how proud we are to be dog parents.
As we know in many parts of the world it is frigid outside so this may also be a great day to find that perfect coat or jacket to keep them warm and styling this winter. Perfect for that kodak moment.
The best way to celebrate this day is by adding that unwanted dog to your welcoming family. All dogs deserve a loving family and a warm bed to call their own.
Hazards – There are not too many hazards to dressing your dog up for the day; however, not all dogs appreciate the addition of unnatural items on their bodies and may get a bit irritated by the idea.
Make sure that whatever you dress your dog in for the day is not tight, falling in their eyes and still provides them the opportunity to do their deeds.
In an article by vetstreet.com they let you know you might be on the lookout for any type of discomfort as this may cause our furry friend to have a change in personality and not be so friendly with other dogs or even their humans.
Gifts for dogs – New spiffy attire, coat, sweater, or boots. Anything that your dog will look great in, be comfortable and get people’s attention.
January 20th –
Martin Luther King Day – FEDERAL
Martin Luther King day is always celebrated on the 3rd Monday in January, this federal holiday was established in 1983, in order to celebrate the life and accomplishments of this man and equal rights to all in the US. If you have the day off and plan to celebrate, it might be a great day to let your favorite companion tag along for the festivities.
January 24
Change a Pets Life Day – Are You Ready to Make a Difference?
This is a day to celebrate all the work that people put into helping make those less fortunate dogs live a little bit better. Many people work endless hours volunteering, fostering and doing what they can for our dogs that do not have a loving family that they so much desire and deserve.
This is not a great life for a dog that deserves so much more; however, many people work, volunteer, foster and donate to help these dogs have a better quality of life. These people deserve recognition! So why not celebrate this day with them.
As a dog lover, we need to take the time to recognize those people that make it possible to make these dogs lives a little bit better.
Many times the workers and volunteers put in many hours caring for that sick or injured dog that was just found in the street, or the senior dog that was relinquished because the family got a new puppy.
They take the time to provide the medical care and love that these dogs would not have otherwise.
How to celebrate – At this point you may be wondering how to celebrate this day and what you can do to make a difference. The first thing, if you are on social media post a Thank You to these awesome people for there dedication to our four-legged friends.
Other ways to celebrate are by getting involved, go for a ride up to the local shelter spend some time getting to know the furry friends there and find out what you can do to make a difference in a dog’s life. There are always opportunities to pitch in and volunteer or make that donation to the local shelters.
Sign up to become a foster home for dogs or even better if you are wanting to add a new bundle of fur to your home adopt one of those sweet babies. As you can see these are all great ways to celebrate and don’t forget to thank the staff for taking care of all the wonderful companions that just want to love and be loved.
Hazards – There are not too many hazards to dressing your dog up for the day; however, not all dogs appreciate the addition of unnatural items on their bodies and may get a bit irritated by the idea.
Make sure that whatever you dress your dog in for the day is not tight, falling in their eyes and still provides them the opportunity to do their deeds.
In an article by vetstreet.com they let you know you might be on the lookout for any type of discomfort as this may cause our furry friend to have a change in personality and not be so friendly with other dogs or even their humans.
January 29
National Seeing Eye Dog Day – Hats off to those service dogs?
January 29th is the perfect day to celebrate those dogs born and bred to guide those that are seeing impaired. Born with a specific job they are trained to provide guidance to those not able to see and help to provide independence for their best companion.
“The Seeing Eye is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of The Seeing Eye® dogs.”
I have had the chance to get to know a few of these dogs and know that their services make a big impact on a person due to allowing them the freedom and self-confidence that they need to live out rewarding lives on their own.
The seeing-eye dogs that I know help their people to get to and from work, so they are able to function in a lucrative career. These dogs are not just to help around the house but leads them to their ride and then into their office in huge office buildings, providing the guidance that the seeing impaired need to find their way around in a business setting.
Seeing these dogs at work helps to understand that dogs really are committed and loyal to their humans, and celebrating a holiday just for them makes perfect sense.
You might be wondering how you can do that and what you can do to help. One way is to let everyone know that January 29th is National Seeing eye dog day, post on social media to let everyone know that today is the day to celebrate these dogs providing a great service to the seeing impaired.
Another way is to donate to The Seeing Eye® they have a variety of programs that you can get involved in to help them by so the can continue helping others by providing these wonderful service dogs to those that need them.
What Is On the Agenda Next Month?
February 2020
Holidays For Dogs In February
Monthly Holidays
Pet Dental Health Month
Dog Training Education Month
Responsible Pet Owners Month
Spay/Neuter Awareness Month
Weekly Holidays
February 9th-15th Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week
Daily Holidays
February 14 Valentines Day - Human
February 14 Pet Theft Awareness Day
February 17 President's Day - Human
February 20 Love Your Pet Day
February 22 National Walking A Dog Day
February 23 International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day/National Dog Biscuit Day
February 25 Spay Day USA/ World Spay Day
Dog Holidays In January Wrap Up
As you can see January is a great month to celebrate! While celebrating the New Year, we understand that in many places, it can be a blustery month in January so try to keep you and your dog warm during the winter season while celebrating.
Many of the dog-friendly holidays just might help with that. Get in some exercise by walking your dog, get in a little training, dress up your dogs, keep them safe in the car and thank the ones that change a pet’s life. Oh, and don’t forget those dogs that are chained-up and if at all possible get them inside out of the cold and remember to celebrate those Seeing Eye dogs.
Thank you for your support on this project and Thank you for helping to keep our dogs healthy, happy and well-adjusted.
It is time to celebrate! What holidays do you plan to celebrate with your dog? Let me know in the comments below and If you know of a holiday I missed you can drop that in a comment too.
I missed January. But for this year. I will bookmark and keep watch for next year.
I do not have a fur baby at this point of time. I had before, and they passed away already.
My niece has been asking for a fur friend. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
And when we have, you can be sure we will come here and follow the holidays. I especially like the Dress Up Your Pet Day. Hee hee! So fun!!!
So sorry that you missed out on Holidays for dogs in January, and yes do come back next year, until then you can start celebrating every month going forward as I continue this project. Make sure to check out the Dog Holidays in February. I see at this time your fur baby has passed and it sounds like you might be acquiring a new family member soon. Many ways you can celebrate is by going to your local shelter and spending time with the dogs there, they always appreciate the special attention and you never know you might just find that perfect companion for your niece and have lots of fun dressing them up.