Header image: @muttcitybitch wears our Nebula Dog Collar
Mayday for Mutts is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of May. This special day is the perfect op-paw-tunity "to spread the word about all the great things that mixed breed dogs have to offer, promote adoption from animal shelters, and show everyone that a dog’s individual personality matters more than their pedigree." Of course, purebred dogs deserve love, too, but mixed breed dogs make up over 75% of dogs in animal shelters, so they need a little bit of extra help in getting adopted. The demand for purebreds unfortunately leads to puppy mills and backyard breeders who produce puppies for profit without concern for the well-being of the animals, and many of those animals end up getting dumped or put in shelters when they can’t be sold. That’s one of the many reasons it’s so important to spread the message that breed doesn’t matter - all dogs can provide you with companionship and unconditional love. Here are some things you can do for mixed breed dogs on Mayday for Mutts...
Share the love
Telling the people in your life about a marvellous mutt you love will help to spread some positivity towards mixed breed dogs! Telling your friends, family, colleagues and sharing your love for mutts on social media might help to dispel some of the harmful myths about mixed breed dogs. It's important to remind people that dogs are individuals (like people) and while breed can influence certain traits, it’s not the only factor that goes into a dog’s personality. Getting a purebred dog doesn't guarantee anything about that dogs individual character.
volunteer
A great hands-on way to help dogs is to volunteer at a shelter. Some rescue centres even have special Mayday for Mutts events so keep your eyes peeled for these! Many shelters need volunteers for all different kinds of tasks, so it's best to make sure that you're suited for the kind of help that they need. You may not always be able to work directly with dogs, but your hard work will certainly make a huge difference for mutts in need. Other indirect ways you can help your local shelter is to promote your local shelter by sharing their adoptable animals on social media or holding fundraiser events at your work, school or home.
fundraise
Fundraising is a fantastic way to not only raise some vital funds for mutts in need, it's also a great opportunity to get the word out there about dogs needing adopting! There are many fantastic ways you could fundraise, such as completing a sponsored run, holding a bake sale, host a quiz night and many more. If you're looking for some fundraising ideas you can complete with your canine companion, have a look at our previous blog post here.