National Make A Dog’s Day
Apparently, today is National Make A Dog’s Day! As you probably already know by now, I don’t need just one day to celebrate my pups. I’m pretty sure they get treated (a.k.a. spoiled) well every single day. In fact, it doesn’t take much to make my dogs’ day! Even their simple, same walk every morning gets them so excited.
What Is National Make A Dog’s Day?
According to National Today, the day is about ensuring the dogs around us enjoy themselves as best as possible. Easy enough, right? That’s what I love about dogs. They are just so genuine and joyful. A belly rub, a walk, snuggling on the couch, playing fetch. These are such simple, easy things that dog’s truly appreciate!
If you’re a dog owner, you know the value and joy dogs can bring to your life. Their love and loyalty is unlike anything else on earth. People often say dogs are too good for us. And I agree. Even after being scolded, my dogs will still run to me, tails wagging, like nothing ever happened.
And of course, there have been studies about the benefits of owning a dog. Typically, dog owners are more active – which of course can depend on the breed, with some being more high-energy than others. There have also been studies showing that dog owners have lower blood pressure and improved stress response.
Another benefit of dog ownership? Being less alone. Whether you live alone, or you’re simply at home while no one else is there, it’s nice to have the company of a dog. There’s nothing I love more than coming home to those wagging tails. Plus, they are super comforting too. I swear my dogs respond to my moods. If I’m crying, they are quick to come check on me. So even on my worst days, my dogs make it better!
The First National Make A Dog’s Day
This special day is a new one. It became an “official” day back in 2019. With dog’s being such a huge part of so many people’s lives, it’s a day to really highlight how special they are. But it’s also a day to encourage better conditions for dogs, and dog adoptions (be sure to check out Wet Nose Wednesday).
How To Celebrate?
National Today gives a few ways you can celebrate National Make A Dog’s Day.
- Go for a walk! Not sure about you, but my dogs know when it’s time for their daily walk, and if I’m ever running behind, they let me know!
- TREATS! My dogs are suckers for any kind of treat. They aren’t picky at all. I might just have to give them a few extra treats today.
- Donate to a shelter. There are so many shelters and rescues here in the CSRA that can always use some help– whether it’s financially or through donations of supplies and food. Some shelters even let you come spend time with some of the animals to help their socialization and get some exercise.
Dogs… What’s Not To Love?
Of course I’ve already mentioned their love and loyalty. But dogs are simply incredible animals. They have an extremely great sense of smell. I am fascinated by dogs trained to sniff out drugs, bombs, or cadavers. But, you also have dogs that aren’t even trained who have saved their owners who might suffer from seizures or blood sugar issues. And they also have great hearing. I’ll admit, I sometimes get annoyed when my dogs start barking at what I believe to be nothing… But they can definitely hear things I can’t.
Whatever you decide to do today with your pups, I hope you enjoy the day and make the most of it. And share those photos on social media… because in my opinion, you can NEVER have too many dog pictures!
New Addition To The Family For Blaine
So it’s happened… there’s a new addition to my family. Just this past Thursday, it grew by four feet… er, paws? Yep, another puppy has been added to the family… bringing that up to 3 dogs! Make sure to check out more adorable photos at the bottom!
Finding the Pup
My fiancé works in grading and has been working a job in Jefferson County. On Wednesday, he texted me to tell me he found a puppy on his job site. He could hear the little guy yelping and whining, and was finally able to see him… and toss him a little food. On Thursday, he went to work prepared– with dog food!
The intention was to rescue the pup, and then get him into a local rescue to find his fur-ever family. But, many local rescues (along with our local animal shelters) are at capacity. Well, my fiancé successfully got the little guy on Thursday and brought him home. Well, what do you think happened?
As soon as I laid eyes on the little guy, I loved him. He was scared to death of humans. But, as soon as my two dogs came out to meet him… that tail went to wagging and he was trying to lick their faces. Now, they aren’t too sure about him… but we’re working on that!
Cleaning Him Up
The poor pup was dirty and had quite a few ticks on him. So first things first, I put him in the bathtub and gave him two rounds of washing. Then we checked him all over and removed any ticks. Once we had him dried off, we placed him in the crate, and without closing the door, he just curled up in there. And that’s where he slept.
Friday morning, we took the dogs for a walk like we do every day. So my fiancé was able to create a makeshift leash and I used an old collar. We brought him along, but he was totally unsure of the leash, so I carried him! He’s quite the little chunk when you have to hold him that long!
Friday as a whole was a crazy day with work and Border Bash, but I managed to run home and check on everyone. Thankfully, he hadn’t pottied in the crate. We went outside, the pups did their business and we were good to go. Friday night, it was “officially” decided we would keep him (although I think we both knew it Thursday night)!
But, if we’re keeping him… he has to have a name!
New Addition to the Family
We tossed a few names around, trying to come up with the perfect one. It can be hard until you really see their personality. My fiance suggested Jack, as in Jack Daniels– because he’s black with some white on him like the JD’s bottles. A few other names came up, but we hadn’t quite decided. When we helped another friend with name suggestions years ago, we based it on Country artists’ names. Her dog wound up with the name Brooks. So I brought this idea up– since my fiance and I really like older Country music.
I suggested Cash, like Johnny Cash, who was “The Man in Black.” Then I mentioned Waylon, as in Waylon Jennings. And that’s when it stuck. His name should be Waylon! And that’s what we settled on. And after using it all weekend, I think he’s catching on!
The Weekend
Saturday we spent the whole day at home. We took a lot of trips outside. I picked him up to snuggle for a bit while watching the Georgia game. And slowly he started warming up some. He didn’t stay curled up in his crate. He ventured out slowly… and eventually was laying in the living room floor, where he tried to gnaw the carpet– which was quickly corrected and he was given a chew toy. Now, both of my dogs are big– so the chew toy is really too big for him, but he doesn’t mind a bit! Even though he can’t be more than 15 pounds at the moment, he tried his best to play with everything my other two did!
How It’s Going
I am surprised at how quickly he’s caught on to things. Although there is a bit of uncertainty once he really warms up and gets comfortable. He hasn’t had an accident in the house or crate yet (knock on wood). But we’ve been vigilant when he’s roaming around the house, and taking him out religiously after meals and water. We assume he’s around 2-3 months old, and a possible lab mix. He’s getting used to the leash, and aside from coming out the front door and up the driveway– once he’s on the road, he walked the whole way this morning, with only a few stops. Since my oldest dog is 12 and has arthritis issues, we don’t walk too far or too fast, so it works pretty well.
He loves to eat… and gobbles his food down. We can only imagine the food insecurity, especially if he’d been in those woods for a while. He’s responding to his name some, and has even given me some puppy kisses with that precious puppy breath! Sleeping in the crate is going okay… he did whine a bit last night, and when our alarm went off this morning– there was NO snoozing! He was awake and ready!
I Wasn’t Ready
Honestly, I wasn’t ready. I kept saying that I didn’t want to stress out my older dog, and then my pit mix can be a bit of a bully and very jealous… Which, she has growled at him constantly since he came around. And she had been eating her food in that crate (we just never took it down once she was old enough to have a little more freedom in the house). So I know it is going to take some getting used to for both of them.
I have to believe this little guy was sent for a reason. We didn’t go out looking for a dog… he came to us. He’s been such a joy to watch– because he’s trying to figure things out, exploring this brand new world, loving the air conditioned house… and trying to “run with the big dogs.” I think he’s learning that he’s in a safe place with people who love him… and feed him on a routine schedule. And I can’t wait to continue loving him and seeing how he grows. Without knowing the breed, I have NO idea how big he’ll be. But it doesn’t matter. As many excuses for why I couldn’t take on a new dog have gone out the window.
Now I will say… it has been SIX YEARS since I’ve had a puppy. Which makes things a little scary for me. What’s funny is… my lab is 12. When he was 6 years old, we got our pit mix. Now 6 more years pass… and now there’s Waylon. I guess it’s a 6 year cycle? If you’re looking for a new addition to your family… make sure to check out our Wet Nose Wednesday!
Now that I’ve told you about the new addition to the family… you’ve got to see the PICTURES!
“Cody” Blaine Jackson is one half of the Kicks Wake Up Krew on Kicks 99, and also serves as the Digital Program Director for Beasley Media Group in Augusta. She’s a Georgia native but currently resides just across the river in South Carolina. She started in the radio industry as a part-time board operator, and moved up through various roles, including on-air positions and program director for multiple stations. Her passions include fitness and anything to do with animals, as she has two fur babies, her dogs Harley and Waylon. Cody likes to write about pets, fitness and Augusta local events.
