Yippee! I found another national day that I totally resonate with: National Pet Parents Day! Have I told you lately how much I love Nationaldaycalendar.com? This website gives us so many reasons to celebrate every day. What I love about these occasions or national days is that we can use them as “excuses” to show someone we care about them. It’s another opportunity to let someone know that we are thinking of them.

I had several dogs before Bruin arrived in December 2004. Growing up, my family had King the Cocker Spaniel, Heidi the Pug, Butchy the Dachshund and Madonna the Pekingese. When we established The Paton Family, Bruin was our first born. He slept on the bed with us every night until he passed away. Bruin was one of the first Golden Doodles in the Linden Hills area and the vet was surprised he was already 3 years old when we moved to MN. After Bruin passed away, I had to wait awhile before getting a new puppy, my heart was very broken.

My handsome guy. The hub found Grady during the pandemic and I will always be so grateful for this gift. Grady is named after my hub’s high school football coach. We needed a G name because we are the Bee-Geez.

National Pet Parents Day was …”founded by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) in 2007, National Pet Parents Day was created from inspiration in seeing the majority of their policyholders consider their pets as part of their family.” according to Nationaldaycalendar.com. I’m glad that VPI took notice of the who their clientele was because yes, we do think of our pets as family members!

Grady’s favorite spot in the house. He finds things to prop up his head because he’s resourceful.

Although most pet parents are dog owners, there are many pet lovers for cats, birds, hamsters, snakes, fish, spiders, turtles - the list is endless because different strokes for different folks. Some pet parents swear that their pets know exactly what they’re thinking and the unconditional love that pets provide is second to none.

I will share that whenever my kids do not listen or I’m feeling sort of down, my dogs (we just got another one) cheer me up. I think of them as beacons of hope validating that I’m not crazy - even though I am talking to animals. One of the common bonds that all pet parents have is that we understand how much a pet means to someone. They can be total strangers. We don’t have to know the parents but we do know that their pet means something to them. This is why whenever I am scrolling thru social media and I see a post of someone losing their pet, I am immediately heart-broken for the parent. Pet parents just know.

Since we just recently added a Chocolate Labradoodle to our family (see photos above), I thought it would be fitting to “showcase” National Pet Parents Day. This national day falls on the last Sunday in April every year. This year we will celebrate it on Sunday, April 24th. If you know any pet parents or you’re one yourself, be sure to celebrate. I like that the founders chose a Sunday to recognize the national day. We’re more likely to have more time on a Sunday to take some selfies with our pets. Or we may have some extra time to snuggle with our furry kids.

The pet industry is gigantic and there are all kinds of **thoughtful pinches** for pet parents. My friend Rachel found this fun dish towel for me. I like how this captures my sentiments just perfectly.

Now that we have Gino (the Italian Stallion), as a parent there are things I need to do:

I have to register his microchip
make a vet appointment so that the doctor can get to know him
secure the pet insurance
train him 5-20 minutes every day
make sure to get his pet food supply ordered so that there is no lag time in between bags
and the basic walking, picking up poop, feeding and supplying water tasks that come with having a pet

It seems like this is a lot of work. However, every pet parent will tell you, all the work is worth it. Cheers to all the parents of pets who do what they do because they love their “kids”. Be sure to use the #nationalpetparentsday hashtag when posting on Instagram and while you’re at it, please tag National Day Calendar. Oh, and feel free to tag @ThoughtfulPinch because it would make me smile to see parents with their pets.

Pinches,

Barb