Happy National Dress Up Your Pet Day!

Tomorrow, January 14th, is National Dress Up Your Pet Day. This might not sound like a real holiday, but it totally is (in the pet world). You can celebrate my stepping up your dog's fashion skills for a day. 

So how did this ho(w)liday start? It was founded in 2009 by Colleen Paige, Celebrity Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate. She is also the founder of National Dog Day and National Cat Day. Dress Up Your Pet Day. 

This holiday isn't just a fun chance to dress up your pet. As Paige, the founder, stresses, "all of my holidays have the underlying goal to help save lives and give homeless animals as much exposure as possible."

This holiday is also a chance to stress the importance avoiding wearing real fur or animal skins. Make no mistake, killing an animal for their fur or skin isn't fashion, it's a form of animal cruelty. Show your support for animals by avoiding anything with real fur. 

And now for the fun part of your day - dressing your dog up! Keep in mind that if your dog doesn't like to wear clothes not to make them. Some dogs or cats don't mind, and some do. Instead, you can buy them a cute new collar or tags. But you can celebrate this silly holiday a bunch of way, not only dressing up your dog. Here are a few ways you can celebrate National Dress Up Your Dog Day:

•  Dress up your dog! This is the obvious one. Make sure your dog is comfortable and that the costume is safe for them to wear. Take pictures and share it, including the #dressupyourpetday.
• Donate blankets, food, and toys to a local animal welfare organization. No kill shelters could always use more supplies.
• Dress up as your favorite pet! Put on some ears or face makeup.
• Have a "pets parade" with your family or your neighborhood with all of their costumes.
• Have a Dress Up Your Pet Day party with your friends and their pets.
• Volunteer at a shelter for the day to walk dogs or play with the adoptable cats. 

There are tons of ways you can celebrate Dress Up Your Pet Day! How will you?