Running from the Law: National Pet Week

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

National Pet Week

Did you know May 1-7 is National Pet Week?  Me either.  But how awesome is that?!  It's no secret around these parts that we love our pets.  They are members of our family and are loved more than we ever thought it'd be possible to love an animal.  I think anyone that's ever had a pet understands how much they enrich your life and make you happy. 


A pet is a great friend. After a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love.  In fact, for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain mental and physical health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity and confidence. They make you laugh.  They can protect you and even help you get dates. (source


Having a pet is also a stress reliever and is good for your heart.  Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine -- nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties.  And heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without pets, according to several studies.  Male pet owners have less sign of heart disease -- lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels -- than non-pet-owners. (source)
 
Did you know that more than half the nation's households have at least one pet?  Dogs and cats are by far the most popular companion animals, millions of people share their homes with fish, birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and insects.  (source) 

Pets are nonthreatening, nonjudgmental, open, welcoming, accepting and attentive. Unlike spouses or parents, they don't talk back, criticize or issue commands. They give people something to care and worry about and be responsible for and make them feel needed and wanted. They also provide a socially acceptable outlet for the need for physical contact. (source) 

So, after all they do for us, what are you doing in honor of National Pet Week?  Are you making a donation to your local humane society?  Are you adopting a new pet?  Are you taking your dog to the park to play?  Are you giving your cat a little extra affection this week? 

Let me know! 

Here's what I'm doing...
For every comment I receive below,
I'll donate $1 to the Humane Society of Missouri

Woo hoo!  You have until the end of the week to leave a comment. 

The most comments I've ever recieved on a post was 41 - let's blow that out of the water, ok?

Do it for the little furry ones.  Please!

Spread the word and spread the love.

And Happy National Pet Week to you and yours!

56 comments:

  1. Happy National Pet Week - love the pictures of Sage you've been putting up - makes us want to get a puppy...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy National Pet week! I linked up with Live What You Love for Tail Wagging Tuesday and posted about most of pets!! They will of course get some extra loving too!!!

    Great pictures and that is great of you to donate per comment!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful post and I LOVE that you are making a donation for each comment! I just made a donation to help animals affected by the tornados in Alabama through this website :

    http://theanimalrescuesite.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great idea you have! Good luck and cute puppies!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am giving my dogs a brand new yard to play in! OK, so it's just by chance that we're moving this week, but I hope they enjoy their new digs as much as I'm planning to. I just love that you're doing a donation to the humane society in honor of pet week. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a sweet post! I love that you're donating a dollar for every comment--that's amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wooo what a great post! After just adopting a third dog (yes, I know, we are nuts).... I just am officially a dog person. They are definitely a part of the family...and dare I even say it... I miss them when I'm not home? :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aw! What a great idea!! Sunday we did a 5K walk-a-thon for a local animal shelter with our two pups (the little guy stayed home since he was recently neutered). Hubby and I raised $230- not much, but with a weeks notice it was about the best we could do! It was SUCH a great event, and so many came out to support it! Last year they raised over $60k for the shelter- I can't wait to see how we did this year!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gah, you are amazing, you know that? As a former SPCA employee, can I just say that if there were more people like you, the world would be a better place!

    Also, Sage is a beast dog--why isn't she still a puppy? And, that picture of you and the pups at the Easter egg hunt is darling! Your red hair! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. i'll make sure to give my pup extra treats this week. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy Pet Week! Thank you for making this generous donation.

    ReplyDelete
  12. we're going to be pup-sitting for my inlaws for a couple weeks while they vacation starting this week. That's about all we can handle pet-wise for now! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy Pet Week! I am donating $500 to the rescue group that brought our beloved Derby girl into our lives :) Kudos to you for donating!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the photos! I so very much wish I wasn't allergic to cats so I could have one.

    What a great way to donate to the Humane Society.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great post and great pictures...happy National Pet Week to you too! Jacksonville, FL has a "Trail of Tails" walk in a couple weeks to benefit our local Humane Society...can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy National Pet Week! I love the pics of your puppies so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love that you're using your blog for to promote such a great cause! It's so obvious that your pets are a huge part of your life. Hope you get tons of comments :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great idea to celebrate National Pet Week! To celebrate, I promise to be more patient with my cockatiel, Lola, even when she is pecking my neck and face constantly for head scratches:)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great idea! :) My husband and I are getting an english creme in a couple of weeks. We're hoping our kitten will get along with her!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Aww I did not know it was National Pet Week!! I love my pup to pieces! She has already gotten a bath and nail clipping last weekend but I will give her more love this week (if that's even possible!!) You are awesome for donating a dollar per comment! Fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love this! as my dogs are my kids I am definitely going to celebrate national pet week by taking them to the park and getting on that donation to the Humane Society as well...

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hurray for National Pet week!! I'm going home and making my pups some organic dog cookies. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Such a great idea! I hope you get 100 comments!

    ReplyDelete
  24. My dog is my best friend... Can't imagine my life without him...

    ReplyDelete
  25. I gave Scrappy an extra cuddle today! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. You are adorable and super sweet! This week I'll be taking my pup Jameson to the beach so he can do what he loves the most, retrieving in water!

    Mrs. Sergeant

    PS. I'm a new follower, love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a wonderful post! Our family wouldn't be complete without our dog, MudLynn. She's so loving and we cherish her.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great photos! We're moving into a house that gets great afternoon sunshine in the kitchen - perfect for my two little Chihuahua's napping pleasure. And my husband is building the house-rabbits a new enclosure for the new house, so they can quite literally be the center of attention in the living room (the rabbits are true attention-whores). Okay, so maybe we aren't moving to a better house for National Pet Week, but still the furkids are going to love it!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sara, you're just awesome for doing this. We have a whole gamut of adopted animals - my cat, Holly, whose story I hope to write up on my blog, Sunday, our adopted Australian Shepherd who is our pride and joy, and my Mustang, Lily, who was wild and rounded up by the BLM (and promptly thrown in a holding pen, grr!) My fiance's sister and brother in law also run a cat rescue, so I see how much of their personal time, money, and love goes into rescue. It's a very special thing indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Sara- Your pets are adorable and it is so thoughtful of you to be making a donation! I am looking forward to moving into a place that will allow us to get one (OK, two) puppies!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I've been trying to convince my husband to let me get a dog. Perhaps National Pet Week will spur him into action?!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Awesome thing you are doing!
    I am a new follower. I found you through another blog I follow.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Love this! In honor of National Pet Week, I'll give my cat Dixie a little extra love and let her drink the milk out of my cereal bowl. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is AWESOME!!!... I'm going to be your new follower. We are absolutely in LOVE with our pets. This is such a great idea. I had NO idea it was National Pet Week... I didn't even know that existed! I'm going to have to celebrate! Look forward to reading more.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Love this! Happy Pet week! My dogs bring me so much joy each day!

    ReplyDelete
  36. WOO-HOO!! I'm comment #40!! You are amazing and I love all of your sweet pets! You better put a lock and key on Mally and Sage though...I adore those two!! I just might have to take a page out of your book and do this too...what a great cause!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'm #41! You're awesome for doing this!

    ReplyDelete
  38. We get to break the record. We want to share in the donation to the Humane Society so we will also contribute a dollar for each comment---may the comments continue.
    ...........Dad & Kelly..........

    ReplyDelete
  39. Those two are a-dorable! Joe and I love our kitty, Carmelle. She has been with us almost as long as we have been a couple- 12 1/2 years. She has offered us endless hours of entertainment and comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  40. This is so cool of you to do!! Our pets are definitely a huge part of our household so we'll be giving them a bit of extra attention this week :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Love this. I can't imagine my life w/o my dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Love your blog! This is so generous of you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. You are so generous and I love that you share so many pictures of your girls...pets are a HUGE part of our lives and they deserve respect and love. Thank you for doing this!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Purrrrrrrrfect idea.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Thanks for being a great mom!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Please save some money for my treats! Please! I'm starving!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Sounds like you have some hungry pups there! I'm sure there is still plenty of treat money. :)

    ReplyDelete