This guide contains info about the holiday along with a brief explanation of the assets added to our Astro Marketing Suite along with My Promotion Ideas, Social Media Fun, and Astro Offer Pairings!
Marketing Guide Key:
🤩 - Marketing Materials
💸 - Offer Pairings
💞 - Sharing The Love
🗞 - Blog Pairing
Month-Long Observances
One-Day Holidays
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with awareness info and Sharing the Love Flyer Link and Single Promo/Offer Element for a My Promotion / Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday
My Promotion Idea: Create a My Promotion for a $/% discount on food or supplies for Fosters. Or create a My Promotion to organize a Food/Supply Drive - If a customer donates a bag of food they get %/$ Off their personal purchase.
Sharing The Love: Team up with your local rescues, especially the Fosters, and let them know that you will help support their foster babies once they enter their new homes.
Social Media Fun: Highlight the heroes in foster that you have come to know! Share links to the rescues and shelters they are involved with.
Hashtag: #NationalFosterCareMonth
My Promotion Idea: $/% off a service that you offer that would educate your customers and help them be better pet parents. This could be a Nutrition Consult of a Leash Walking Class. Open it up to young people!
Sharing The Love: Give your new pet parents a shoutout! They saved a life after all. Reshare some of their adoption posts from when they came in to redeem their Adoption Bundle.
Social Media Fun: Share tips for pet health care that cater to your specialty - like raw feeding tips. Check out Doodle Dogs in Calgary for inspiration!
Hashtag: #ResponsibleAnimalGuardianMonth
For over 15 years Blue Buffalo has helped lead the fight against this devastating disease, helping raise more than $30 million.
While researching this holiday we found another organization that is bringing awareness to pet cancer and offering solutions to families in need. The Brodie Fund raises money to offer financial assistance, through grants, to families who have pets fighting cancer.
Brodie was a part of our family and patriarch of the four fabulous felines in the William’s clan. Brodie was also a warrior, a cancer warrior. He was the co-founder of Team Brodie and the inspiration for The Brodie Fund.Both groups offer unique ways to donate to a good cause - whether that is cancer research or contributing to grants to help families afford their pets' treatments.
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with Awareness Info / Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday
Astro Offer: Blue Buffalo has an Astro Offer this month, which would be nice to highlight if you decide to talk about the work they have done related to raising funds for cancer research.
Social Media Fun: Cancer is not a happy topic, but I do find it hopeful when I learn something new about the work being done to find a cure. As we all know, nutrition plays a huge role in both prevention and support during a cancer battle. I've seen miracles.
Hashtag: #PetCancerAwarenessMonth
Here are a few ways you can get involved and help celebrate “Be Kind to Animals Week®”
Adopt from a Shelter or Rescue.
Commit to Kindness 365 days a year
Show your support on social media #BeKindToAnimalsWeek
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with Offers and Sharing the Love / Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday
My Promotion Idea:
Sharing The Love: Adopt from a Shelter or Rescue is number 2 on the ways to celebrate this holiday!
Social Media Fun: Share the Pledge. Talk about your involvement in Sharing The Love. Bring attention to the cause!
Hashtag: #BeKindToAnimalsWeek
While learning more about the origins of National Pet Week we discovered some cool symbolism reflected in the origin stories relating to the many pets in our lives. This same info was added to a Holiday Template now available for your use.
Dogs: Man's best friend Dogs have been with humankind for thousands of years as allies and protectors. They represent loyalty, nobility, service, and trustworthiness.
Cats: Four-legged deities From the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet, cats symbolize mystery, intuition, cleverness, and independence.
Goldfish: The true four-leaf clovers Kept in domestic households by the ancient Greeks, goldfish were viewed as good luck, harbingers of abundance, harmony, and strong relationships.
Lizards: The original Mr. Sandman Aboriginal culture sees lizards as the guardians of the Dreamtime, the place where the future is formed through dreaming. They are often symbolic of analysis, purposeful change, and rest.
Horses: Graceful dancers Horses have been imbued with meaning and power for centuries, from Celtic culture to modern indigenous peoples. They symbolize unbridled energy, freedom, grace, and strength.
My Promotion Idea: $/% off any sale during this week.
Sharing The Love: All pets who come in this week to redeem their Adoption Bundles get an extra gift from you!
Social Media Fun: Ask a Question and invite your customers to share - "What does your pet, or pets, symbolize in your life?" This question was added to the Holiday Template now available for your use. Or it can be added to an Astro Social Post as the caption.
Hashtag: #NationalPetWeek
This is an optimal time to share your knowledge of remedying anxiety in dogs. Inform your customers of any supplements or other soothing products that you carry.
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with Offers / Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday
My Promotion: $/% any items that you have found to help anxiety in dogs - snuffle matts, difusers, chews, etc.
Sharing The Love: Many of the dogs in the foster system got there because they either had anxiety issues to begin with, or they develop them while in the system. I always discuss anxiety with new dog parents and offer them tips for managing any signs of anxiety.
Social Media Fun: Share tips for managing anxiety in dogs.
Hashtag: #DogAnxietyAwarenessWeek
To find out more about National Mayday for Mutts check out this informative article by Porch Potty.
My Promotion Idea: $/% off your favorite items
Sharing The Love: You could offer any mutts adopted this day/wee/month and extra free gift.
Social Media Fun: Share info about the holiday.
Hashtag: #MaydayForMutts
"The name held too negative a connotation, said Colleen, because these pets are very able! Pets that become challenged due to disease, birth flaws, or injuries, tend to develop greater senses than your average pet. Most of the time, it's as if they never had to readjust to life...and we need to keep up with them!"
Celebrated nationally and internationally on May 3rd annually, National Specially-abled Pets Day encourages adoption always and for people who would like to bring a new furry family member home, to consider a specially-abled pet.
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with info / Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday
My Promotion: $/% anything that you can relate to Star Wars!
Social Media Fun: Have fun! The outer ring really is the limit!
Hashtag: #MayThe4thBeWithYou
My Promotion Idea: $/% off your favorite cat items - especially if they relate to Cinco de Mayo.
Social Media Fun: Ask your customers to share a pic or story of their cat and tag your social pages. Use the Holiday Template provided or use Astro Social to post one of our many optimized images with a caption.
Hashtag: #CincoDeMeow
This holiday celebrates Dog Moms and their unwavering bond with their dogs. Our dogs are our family members. We adopt them as puppies, adolescents, or fully mature dogos with a bit of baggage. Despite them being completely different species, we find common ground, a connection, and a bond like families do. They know our moods, and we know theirs. We care for them, protect them, and share endless loyalty with them.
My Promotion Idea: $/% off your Dog Mom merch!
Social Media Fun: Invite your customers to share a Mom & Pup pic of them and their dog, or a dog mom in their life and her dog.
Hashtag: #NationalDogMomsDay #DogMom #DogMomsDay
We found some cool fun facts to share. Check out the AKC's article, Top 10 Facts About German Shepherd Dogs. In addition to fun facts, some fun toys to share with your GSD guardians are hide-and-seek toys and puzzle toys. These types of toys entertain a GSD's mind and their sniffer. As a herding breed, they would also be fans of Treibball.
German Shepherds and GSD mixes are #7 on the Top 10 Dog Breeds Found in Shelters list, so they make ideal candidates for your Sharing the Love adoption rewards.
These Dog Treat Offers pair perfectly with puzzle toys and can serve as training rewards.
My Promotion Idea: $/% off German Shepherd merch (magnets and what-not)
Sharing The Love: Give any German Shepherds or Mixes a special treat this month.
Social Media Fun: Share fun facts about German Shepherds. Ask your customers to share pics of their Shepherds and Shepherd Mixes.
Hashtag: #GermanShepherdDay
Chihuahuas are the smallest breed on Earth, but they are big when it comes to personality. Weighing only three to six pounds and standing about five inches high, the Chihuahua is a lot of dog in a very little package.
Chihuahuas are #8 on the Top 10 Dog Breeds Found in Shelters list, so they make ideal candidates for your Sharing the Love adoption rewards.
Chihuahua owners would appreciate accessories that will help keep their beloved little guys close - such as tote bags and pet slings. They would also love little treats to comfort them on their journies together.
My Promotion Idea: $/% off Chihuahua merch (magnets and what-not)
Sharing The Love: Give any Chihuahua or Mixes a special treat this month.
Social Media Fun: Share fun facts about Chihuahuas. Ask your customers to share pics of their Chihuahua and Chihuahua Mixes.
Hashtag: #ChihuahuaAppreciationDay
Rescue dogs often overcome extreme obstacles and yet provide comfort, security, and friendship as family pets. As emotional support companions, rescue dogs help to relieve anxiety, depression, and PTSD among the military or those who suffer from mental illness. They make excellent teachers, too. Rescue dogs show children about caring and kindness.
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with Info and Sharing the Love Flyer Link / One Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday / Multiple New Optimized Astro Social Images under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Adoption
Sharing The Love: This is a great holiday to bring attention to your involvement in Sharing the Love while encouraging those in your community to adopt.
Social Media Fun: Whenever I think of Rescue Dogs I think of the quote, "Who Rescued Who?" This question works really well to prompt rescue dog owners to share their adoption stories. Tug those heartstrings! (I'm itching to adopt another dog now that I've sat here for hours going through dog-hug photos and rescue dog poems!)
Hashtag: #NationalRescueDogDay
Since then, and through much crossbreeding, the canines have become the domestic St. Bernard dogs commonly seen in households today.
Click here for more fun facts about the origin of the St. Bernard...
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with Info, Offer Elements, and Sharing the Love Flyer Link / Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday
Social Media Fun: Share some fun facts about Bernards of Montjoux. There's great pics of the monks and the dogs on the links above.
If the characteristic wagging of the Cavalier's plumy tail doesn't melt your heart, surely his large, dark round eyes will. Warm and lustrous, with a sweet expression, they hold the power to extract constant petting and unlimited supplies of food from people under their spell. Click here for more fun-facts about Cavaliers...
Sharing The Love: Include a special gift in Adoption Bundles for all CKCS or mixes adopted this month.
Social Media Fun: Puppy Dog Eyes Contest - Prompt your customers with the question, "Do you have a Cavalier King Charles or a dog that has adorable puppy-dog eyes? Capture a picture of their soulful stare and post it to your Facebook or Instagram. Tag us so we can see!" Make sure to include your @tags.
Hashtag: #CavalierKingCharlesDay
Our second Holiday Template was designed to honor our K9 Soldiers. Their stories are like no other. Not only do they repeatedly save the lives of their handlers, but they also provide something only a dog can provide. True love and loyalty.
Until 2000, it was legal and common practice to euthanize military working dogs, known as MWDs, at the end of their useful service. But it was one military war dog in particular – a dog named Robby – whose own fate changed that of other MWDs to come. Robby’s Law (H.R.5314) was signed by President Bill Clinton in November 2000 and required that all MWDs suitable for adoption be available for placement after their service. Unfortunately, it was too late to save Robby, whose former handler fought valiantly to adopt him, to no avail.
There are groups such as Mission K9 Rescue and Save a Vet that has sprouted up to help rehome retired military dogs since the passing of Robby's Law.
There's also Soldiers Best Friend that was started to help our human veterans by uniting them with a rescue dog in need.
Marketing Materials: Holiday Template with awareness and charity links and Sharing the Love Flyer Link, Optimized Astro Social Image under Astro Media > Lifestyle > Holiday