Today is National Dog Day - a day to celebrate not just the dogs who make headlines, but also the countless others whose loyalty and love will never be captured on camera.

Like the dog in Pittsburgh who recently stopped traffic - literally - to get help.

She led a stranger straight to a tent where two people lay motionless: one unresponsive, and the other barely unconscious.

Because she would not give up, medics arrived in time and two lives were saved.

And while every wet wag and nose deserves recognition, it is also a chance to turn that love into action.

Here are four ways to celebrate National Dog Day while making a lasting difference for dogs:

1. Prevent Dogs From Ending up in Shelters

When a guardian’s life changes suddenly, many of their dogs end up in crowded shelters or wandering streets because no plan was made for their care. 

You can change that by encouraging friends and neighbors to include their dogs in their Wills.

A few conversations can mean the difference between a dog staying in a loving home or being abandoned.

2. Call Out Harmful Shelter Practices

Some shelters still kill dogs using gas chambers or fail to prevent breeding inside their facilities. 

Use this day to write to decision-makers, post verified information, or join local campaigns that demand humane reform. 

Change rarely comes without pressure from the outside.

3. Support Spay and Neuter Where It Is Needed Most

In many regions, veterinary care is out of reach, and litters are born into suffering year after year. 

Supporting programs in those areas saves countless lives before they even begin.

But even with the best efforts, it is impossible to reach every dog through surgery alone. 

4.Help End the Stray Animal Crisis

The world's 600 million stray dogs and 87 million stray cats give birth to over 1 billion homeless puppies and kittens every year. 

Tragically, those who survive also reproduce, creating another generation of homeless strays and repeating the cycle of suffering year after year.

This is why our mission is to end the #1 cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats — overpopulation — by developing a permanent-lasting birth control cookie that will only need to be eaten one time, and it will in effect spay or neuter — without surgery.

With your help, we will end this suffering.

Please join us.

Thank you very much for helping, and for caring.

Sources:

[1] The Guardian

[2] National Dog Day