7 Ways you should be Celebrating your Pet

The first week of May was all about celebrating our furry friends, and for good reason –  to encourage responsible pet ownership, recognize the invaluable human-animal bond, and increase general awareness of veterinary medicine.

Spending an entire week showing appreciation for our companions can prove to be an incredibly fun undertaking. It can also be educational to youngsters and lower our stress levels.

Even though the week has come and gone, here are 7 ways you should be celebrating your pet as often as you can:

Play-dates

Given that your pet enjoys the company of other pets, a play date is a wonderful way of allowing your dog the opportunity to get social and burn off energy. It’s an uncomplicated way of treating your pet to something different – a new experience. You’ll most likely find that a lot of your friends who own animals will be up for it too.

Otherwise, there are groups you can join online for people who have the same agenda and are looking to meet up at dog parks for play dates. This could also be a fun way for you to meet new people.

A new toy

Whether you own a cat or dog, chances are they love new toys. Toys can also be fantastic training tools. Giving your pet a chew toy or bell toy is a terrific way for stimulating their mind, keeping them busy and ensuring they don’t chew (or scratch) something of value to you.

Homemade treats

There is a wide variety of recipes online, from peanut butter-carrot dog/cat cake to healthy pumpkin balls. Dogs and cats love treats, and the best thing about making the treats yourself is you choose exactly what goes into them, so you’ll be able to monitor the amount of sugar used to produce these treats, ensuring there are no added colorants, attractants or preservatives.

Post a picture

You pet may be incapable of engaging with it but show your friends and family how much you love your pet by posting a picture of you and your furry companion on social media. It’s not as if you’ll be struggling to find content because chances are you already have hundreds of photographs already!

Depending on what kind of pet owner you are, you could even go so far as organising a professional photo shoot for you and your animal. You could also get a professional photographer to take photographs of your pet in a beautiful location.

Walk a different route

If you’re a dog owner, you can walk your dog a different route for a change by taking your pup to a new location entirely. Dogs love new smells and new surroundings, but more so than anything else, love being outside and being active.

You could even go on a weekend camping trip. There are many dog-friendly campsites around the UK and it’s a fantastic way for you to take a break and explore the outdoors too.

Go shopping

If you’re looking to treat your four-legged friend, then a Torus bowl is the perfect gift! It is an ergonomically designed, portable and sturdy smart water bowl for cats and dogs that provides fresh, carbon-filtered water as often as your pet desires. Some of the benefits of the Torus bowl include:

• No power or batteries needed
• Stores up to 2L of water
• Is fully sealable which makes it travel friendly
• Filters to provide fresh Auto-replenishable water as your pet drinks

A day at the parlour

There are many reasons why you should groom your pet. It’s beneficial to their appearance and your bond with them. Treat your pet to a full day at the parlour and give them a full grooming experience from clipping (hair cut) and bathing, to nail clipping and cleaning of ears.

As brilliant an initiative that Celebrate Your Pet Week is, we believe you should always shower your companion with the love it deserves. Our advice? Try to do one of the above-mentioned gestures at least once a month.