Holidays in green include Offer Pairings. Holidays in red pair nicely with Sharing the Love. While holidays in blue are designed to spread awareness. And some can be more than one. There are no real rules here, just have fun with it!
Sept. 20-26: Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week
Sept. 20-26: National Deaf Dog Awareness Week
Sept. 20-26: National Dog Week
Sept. 01: Ginger Cat Appreciation Day
Sept 06: Labor Day
Sept. 08: National Dog Walker Appreciation Day
Sept. 12: National Hug Your Hound Day
Sept. 13: Scooby-Doo Day
Sept. 18: Puppy Mill Awareness Day
Sept. 18: Responsible Dog Ownership Day
Sept. 19: National Meow Like a Pirate Day
Sept. 22: National Walk ‘n’ Roll Dog Day
Sept. 23: Remember Me Thursday®
Sept. 25: World’s Largest Pet Walk
Sept. 28: World Rabies Day
So how can we relate the start of Fall to our pets? Well, we all know how beneficial pumpkin is when it comes to their digestion - so now is the time to put your pumpkin treats, toppers, and supplements front and center. I already got my Primal Pumpkin Spice Goat Milk and Primal Awesome Squash Fresh Topper defrosting in my fridge for Puppy Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. Sharing fun seasonal recipes like these with your customers is a great way to help them introduce healthy foods in their pet's routine. Everyone wins!
We also know that when the weather is cooler there are a lot more opportunities to get out there and enjoy that weather. I mean, who doesn't love a fall hike! Encourage your customers to get out there and explore.
September is also traditionally "Back to School" time. This can be tied to pet training classes or doggie daycare. Invite your pup clients "Back to School" and show them what you have in store for them!
Social Media Fun: What is it about the Fall Season that you enjoy? Do you have any fun recipes or new products to share with them? What about recommended outdoor adventures? Show them the new outdoor gear you have. Or welcome them "Back to School"!
Hashtags: #WelcomeFall #FallInLovewithFall #BackToSchoolDog #FallPetAdventures
Social Media Fun: Ask your customers to share pictures and stories about their happy cats. Offer holistic health tips related to enrichment and diet. After all, a truly happy cat is an entertained cat.
Sharing the Love: A Happy Cat is a cat who has found their forever home and their special person or people. Help members of your community welcome home their newly adopted Happy Cats with FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundles!
Hashtags: #HappyCatMonth #ItsAllAboutTheCat #WeLoveCats
National Service Dog Month is a time dedicated to raising awareness and showing appreciation for the extraordinary work service animals do every day for the people in their care. National Service Dog Month honors these working dogs for making millions of lives better and safer.
As partners and companions to our human species, dogs understand us and can read our emotions. They have intrinsic therapeutic capabilities. Even an untrained dog can be an emotional anchor for a person with anxiety or depression, but a trained service dog can bring specific techniques to bear.
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Social Media Fun: Share some info related to National Service Dog Month. Dogtime.com collected links to several hero and service dog organizations. They also have a pretty great article about everything National Dog Month with some videos and other fun facts to share.
Hashtags: #NationalServiceDogMonth
Are you in North Carolina? Then you're in luck! The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) hosts a flagship Responsible Dog Ownership Day event in Raleigh, NC each year to celebrate the human-canine bond. This year, the AKC is excited to share that we will be holding a socially distanced in-person event on September 11th, 2021 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC!
Social Media Fun: Share blog articles with tips on how dog owners can achieve dog parent of the year, or simply offer your own advice on the matter. If you are looking for inspiration both the AKC and Dogtime.com have some good material.
Hashtags: #ResponsibleDogOwnershipMonth
Animal Pain Awareness Month was started in 2015 by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM). Their goal was to help pet owners learn about their pets’ health and well-being when it comes to pain management, be it acute or chronic pain. This can greatly improve their quality of life.
As we know there are several supplements that are geared towards preventing chronic pain like arthritis, while there are others that are even effective at quieting pain once it sets in. Acute and chronic pain are often caused by inflammation, and the best way to naturally combat inflammation is with known anti-inflammatories. There are even certain diets that have been shown to reduce inflammation such as raw diets.
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Social Media Fun: Do you have any tips to share that would help pet parents treat pain in their pets, or prevent pain from developing as their pets age?
Hashtags: #AnimalPainAwarenessMonth
Ready.gov has the entire month planned, with new preparedness topics to focus on each week. They even have social media graphics and a tool kit available for use. As a neighborhood pet shop, your role is key in helping pet parents make sure they have the emergency resources that they need in order to care for their pets during a disaster. Canned foods and dehydrated foods are great to have on hand in emergencies, as well as first aid products. Your Astro Brand Partners have stepped up and there are several Offers available this month that would fit nicely into a pet preparedness kit.
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Social Media Fun: Check out Ready.gov's content and add your own tips regarding pet preparedness. What are your favorite products to have on hand in emergencies?
Hashtags: #PrepareToProtect #BeReady #NPM #NationalPreparednessMonth #NationalDisasterPreparednessMonth
The week is yours to celebrate as you wish – create a “less adoptable pets only” adoption event, promote the senior pet Featured Pet Module, or tell everyone you know what makes these special pets great! Here are some pluses we found to adopting “less adoptable” animals:
Check out the rest of the resources that Petfinder.com has collected to help you help your "less adoptables" find the forever homes they deserve! They have Creative Marketing ideas, Events, Downloadable Flyers, and more! I am loving this article they titled, "Adopt Your Own Mini-Panther" 😍
As an Astro Neighborhood Retailer, you can play a pivotal role in helping pets get adopted in your community. Make sure you enroll in Sharing the Love so your store can reward adoption! And don't forget to inform your friends in rescue so they know to direct their new pet owners to you.
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Social Media Fun: Tag your favorite local rescues and let them know that your store rewards pets who are adopted from their organization! Share adoptable pet profiles and articles about the benefits of adopting pets that people may view as "less-adoptable." Show your support and encourage your customers to do the same!
Sharing the Love: This is a great time to spread the word about your participation in Sharing the Love. All pets deserve happy forever homes and what better way to welcome them home than with a FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundle!
Hashtags: #AdoptALessAdoptablePetWeek
"Part of bringing awareness to Deaf Dog Awareness Week is sharing with the world how much we all think Deaf Dogs Rock."
Christina Lee, the founder of Deaf Dogs Rock, has filled her website with helpful articles related to her own experiences with caring for her deaf dogs. This article, What Every New Deaf Dog Family Needs to Know, I found to be particularly helpful - she also includes a shareable video.
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Social Media Fun: Share some fun facts or videos about deaf dogs, or better yet, your own experiences caring for deaf dogs. Do you know a rescue that works with adoptable deaf dogs, give them a friendly shoutout!
Sharing the Love: Make a point to reward those who adopted deaf dogs this week with FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundles.
Hashtags: #NationalDeafDogAwarenessWeek #DeafDogsRock
National Dog Week started in 1928 when a World War I veteran and canine advocate by the name of Captain William Judy decided that a week-long celebration was the least that could be done to recognize the service and the unwavering loyalty of man's best friend. After returning from the war, in which he earned the Silver Star, Captain Judy established a publishing operation dedicated to canines, in addition to purchasing and publishing Dog World magazine.
"The world likes dogs because dogs are nearest to moral perfection of all living things." - Captain William Judy
According to the Zoom Room's research, back in the Swing Era, breed clubs were filled with passionate devotees to their particular favored pedigreed pups. But the high-minded goals of the founders of National Dog Week envisioned a far broader campaign that would reach out to all dog owners, regardless of their socioeconomic status (or of the registration status of their pups). In fact, their charter included seven specific objectives:
Taste of the Wild® has a nice shareable blog article titled, "5 Ways to Celebrate National Dog Week". One suggestion is to "Splurge on Something Special" or "Throw a Dog Party" (if you do one of those invite me!)
Social Media Fun: There is a Facebook Page dedicated to National Dog Week. This is the time to really celebrate our dogs. Share pictures of your puppers and invite your customers to do the same!
Sharing the Love: It's easy to encourage members of your community to adopt during National Dog Week when you're perfectly set up to reward that act of kindness with FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundles!
Hashtags: #NationalDogWeek
Flash Sale Offer: NaturVet
Ok, I just learned something! I didn't realize that there were orange female cats out there. Sounds to me that those ginger ladies are pretty special.
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Social Media Fun: Do you have the pleasure of cohabitating with a ginger meow? Share a pic of their majesty and ask your customers to do the same. If you don't have an orange kitty about, share a bio of an adoptable ginger in your community and help that fuzz-friend find a home!
Sharing the Love: Welcome Adopted Ginger Kittys to your store to redeem their FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundles!
Hashtags: #GingerCatAppreciationDay
All Astro Offers mesh will with Labor Day, so no need to be choosy here. Share 'em all along with your tips for making the Labor Day weekend a pet-friendly one to remember!
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Social Media Fun: Share your Astro Offers along with well-wishes for a pet-friendly Labor Day Weekend!
Hashtags: #HappyLaborDay
"Picking up poop is just one part of a dog walker's job -- and it's the easiest part of this business," said Jason Meltzer, co-founder, and chief dog officer at Wag! "But everyone has a special story about the dog walker who rushed across town to let the dog out when its owner got stuck at work, or who watered the plants, fed the fish, and watched the house while the family was away on vacation. (Yup, I have absolutely been there - thank you Sophie, Christie, and all the other dog walkers I have reached out to in panic.) Dog walkers go above and beyond the call of duty every day; yet, most people have no idea how demanding the job is. National Dog Walker Appreciation Day gives walkers the long-overdue spotlight they've earned."
So how can we celebrate our dog walkers today? For one we can give them a thank you shout out on our socials - or better yet, recommend their amazing services to other members of our community. Trust, a good dog walker is a treasure and not to be taken for granted!
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Social Media Fun: Give your favorite dog walker or dog walking service a shoutout. Mention the sweet dog walking gear you carry - hands-free leads, treat pouches, poop bags/holders, etc.
Hashtags: #NationalDogWalkerAppreciationDay
Today is the time to appreciate the companionship and value our dogs give us emotionally and physically. All-day long, be sure to give your pooch your full attention. Try spending the day the same way your dog spends it!
It's all about observing your dog (from their point of view). That means, explore your dog's world from their perspective. Investigate their environment and habits. For fun, try exploring a park together - take time to enjoy the sights and smells with the same passion for nature as your pup. Or for a more investigative approach, get down on their level and check for any hazards that you may have missed before - such as toxic plants or broken toys.
As a Neighborhood Pet Shop, you can offer your customers some sweet tips on how to have fun like a dog, or some valuable advice on what to keep a lookout for when it comes to potential hidden hazards. You can also recommend safe and enriching toys that will stimulate their minds and encourage human-dog bonding time.
I've been stalking Primal Pet Foods' Tagged Instagram and found some serious West Paw Toppl stuffer recommendations! How cool is that!
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Social Media Fun: Post pics of you and your staff hugging their hounds! Ask your customers to do the same! Share fun suggestions on how they can spend the day - what activity would your dog choose to do?
Sharing the Love: What better way to spend Hug Your Hound Day than to Welcome Home a new huggle hound!
Hashtags: #NationalHugYourHoundDay
For those of you like myself that cannot wait until Spooky Season enters its full swing, we can all satisfy some of our anticipation with Scoobie Snacks and shouting things like, "I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids and your dog!!”
Oh, and speaking of Scooby Snacks - here are some healthy ones to pump up our doggo's mystery-solving skills! I just had a cool idea... Let's mix Scooby Snacks and a mystery to solve. One of my favorite games to play with my dog (and cats - can't leave them out 😸) is to hide treats around the house so they can sniff them out - like ghosts 👻! Or dudes dressed like ghosts.
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Social Media Fun: Share your best ideas for incorporating treats (aka Scooby Snacks) into a mystery-solving adventure! This could be a Treasure Hunt hide-and-sneak style. Ask your customers to share pics of their games.
Hashtags: #ScoobyDooDay #ScoobySnacks
Social Media Fun: You can find tons of great shareable images on the BEAK website. Astro has also collected and added our favorites from their library to your Astro Media Library. The quiz they created is very informative, super cute, and highly shareable. Share pics of your pet bird if you have one, or pics of adoptable birds in your area. Ask your customers to share their bird pics too!
Hashtags: #NationalPetBirdDay
I'm pretty confident based on my audience - Neighborhood Pet Shops and Natural and Holistic Pet Supply Brands - that we're all on the same page about Puppy Mills (booo! bad!). Lucky we can support local adoptions from Shelters and 501c3 Rescues with more than just our words and morals - we can use Astro Sharing the Love!
The list of participating Astro Brand Partners continues to grow and grow. So if you are a Neighborhood Pet Retailer on Astro and you have yet to explore Sharing the Love, now is the time to do so - I guarantee that you can build the perfect Welcome Home Adoption Bundle for adopted pets in your community!
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Social Media Fun: Share information about your Sharing the Love programs. Encourage your customers to help you spread the word and encourage adoption rather than shopping for pets.
Sharing the Love: Astro Loyalty has the resources you need to help get the word out and really amp up your participation in Sharing the Love - whether you are a Neighborhood Pet Retailer or Astro Brand Partner. Check out our Marketing Webinar Registration Page for details on our Sharing the Love Webinar Episodes and Recordings.
Hashtags: #PuppyMillAwarenessDay #AdoptDontShop #DontBuyAdopt #AstroSharingTheLove
Each year, the AKC invites its more than 5,000 affiliated dog clubs, along with other pet-related organizations, to host Responsible Dog Ownership Days to help educate the public in their communities about the responsibilities of dog ownership and help current owners enhance their relationships with their pets. These events typically consist of educational booths, action-packed dog demonstrations, games, activities to try out with your dog, microchipping, health clinics, and more. Owning a dog has endless pleasures and rewards, but we all need a friendly reminder about the obligations we have to our pets in return.
One fun spin to take on this holiday is to point out the benefits our dogs have on our own lives, health, and frankly sanity. Their health is in our hands so it's only fair to provide them with the very best. And where do you get the very best? At your Neighborhood Pet Shop of course!
Are you in North Carolina? Then you're in luck! The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) hosts a flagship Responsible Dog Ownership Day event in Raleigh, NC each year to celebrate the human-canine bond. This year, the AKC is excited to share that we will be holding a socially distanced in-person event on September 11th, 2021 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC!
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Social Media Fun: Point out some fun facts about how our dogs improve our health just by being their awesome selves. Then showcase some of your favorite items to keep their physical and mental health in tip-top shape!
Sharing the Love: What better way to start a new dog owner off on the journey to be the most responsible dog parent ever than by rewarding them with a FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundle full of healthy foods, treats, supplements, and supplies!
Hashtags: #ResponsibleDogOwnershipDay
September 19 has been known as Talk Like a Pirate Day since 1995, but in 2015, cats gained their due respect with the co-celebration of Meow Like a Pirate Day. Since pirates are rarely seen without a cat or two (or ten) to keep rodents at bay on their man-o-war, it's only fitting to include them in today's festivities.
Fun Facts! Cats, long seen as creatures of either good or bad luck, often rode along with pirates on the high seas. The sailors saw them as good luck charms who could keep away bad spirits (and of course, rats). Sure, they may not be the most water-loving choice of pets, but it’s said that many pirates weren't actually able to swim. So really, cats are just as qualified as any other pirate to adorn a crossbow hat and set sail past the tide.
So, as we bark like an old salt, drink rum from the bottle, and throw manners out the window, don't forget to share your booty with the ship's cat.
Speaking of "booty" (aka treasure - get your mind outta the gutter 😸) there are plenty of cat-themed Astro Offers this month for your customers to set sail and come see ya for. Savvy?
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Social Media Fun: If anyone dresses their cat up like a pirate, please for the love of all things cat - share it! This is definitely the time to share fun facts about cat pirates (they did exist!) and booty jokes.
Sharing the Love: Have any members of your community welcomed a new heartie to be a part of their ship's crew? Then they deserve a mound of treasure in the form of a FREE Welcome Home Adoption Bundle!
Hashtags: #NationalMeowLikeAPirateDay #ShiverMeTimbersMeow
Barbara witnessed first- hand from Frankie who became paralyzed after a diagnosis of IVDD, that dogs in wheelchairs can live happy, long, quality lives if given a chance. We should not take pity on pets who lose their mobility. But, instead, celebrate and embrace their perseverance and adversity. In Frankie's memory, Barbara founded this day to continue to bring positive awareness to all dogs in wheelchairs.
Find out more on their Facebook page @NationalWalknRollDogDay!
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Social Media Fun: Tag their Facebook page when you post to help direct your interested customers to a place where they can share their "walk 'n' roll" stories or find needed resources and community.
Hashtags: #WalkNRollDogDay
Remember Me Thursday® Remember Me Thursday® is an international social media awareness day that brings attention to the millions of adoptable pets waiting in shelters and remembers those pets who never got a second chance. Share your rescue pet using #RememberMeThursday.
On September 23, 2021, the entire world will share the importance of pet adoption, and shine a light on all orphan pets waiting in shelters and rescues. Since its inception in 2013, Remember Me Thursday® has made more than 1.5 billion impressions on social media.
On #RememberMeThursday, love your rescue and help others #SeeTheLight. It’s up to you to spread the word.
If you want to get involved yourself or urge your customers to do so as well, their website https://remembermethursday.org/ is packed (and I mean packed) with links, content, events, etc.
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Social Media Fun: This is a Social Media holiday, so make sure that whenever you share anything related to their cause that you use their official hashtags. Voices unit!
Sharing the Love: If your store is participating in Sharing the Love this is another great opportunity to mention all the good works you are doing to support and encourage adoption in your community! There's also plenty of love to go around, so encourage your peers to get involved and participate in their communities.
Hashtags: #RememberMeThursday #SeeTheLight
Interested? You can register for the walk here, or organize and register your own group of walkers in your community. Your participation will support their Therapy Animal Program which brings unconditional love, happiness, and healing to millions of seniors, patients, veterans, and children in need.
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Social Media Fun: This holiday has a large social media presence, so make sure to use their official hashtags when posting about it socially.
Hashtags: #WorldsLargestPetWalk
Social Media Fun: Share some Bunny fun facts, post pics of super cute bunnies, share profiles of adoptable rabbits, ask your customers to share pics of their rabbits!
Sharing The Love: Does your store work with local rabbit rescues, or do you have your own rabbit rescue? If so, now is a great time to inform your community about your store's involvement in Sharing the Love. Brands like Oxbow Animal Health and Carefresh by Healthy Pet each have Adoption Programs on Astro's Sharing the Love platform.
Hashtags: #NationalBunnyDay
While rabies is a 100% preventable disease, more than 59,000 people die from the disease around the world each year. World Rabies Day is an opportunity to reflect on our efforts to control this deadly disease and remind ourselves that the fight is not yet over. Major health organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)external icon, the World Health Organization (WHO)external icon, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)external icon, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)external icon have pledged to eliminate human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030.
The theme for World Rabies Day 2020 is “End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate”– you can help by keeping pets up to date on their rabies vaccination, and collaborating with doctors, veterinarians, educators, community workers, policymakers, and others in your community to raise awareness around rabies prevention and control.
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Social Media Fun: This holiday is all about bringing awareness and setting reminders to help prevent a completely preventable illness from wreaking havoc in a community. Keep it light and your people will appreciate the gentle reminder to check their pets' tags/history.
Hashtags: #WorldRabiesDay
If you made it all the way to this point, you rock! And I want you to know that this content was sincerely made with you in mind. Whew. Ok. Enjoy September!