In honor of National Mutt Day, we’re celebrating all mixed breed dogs with this photo collection on 123RF. Dogs make incredible companions, from their work in the police and armed forces, to sniffing out drugs in airports. Our canine friends are perfect for aiding the blind or as therapy dogs in many countries across the globe.
Here’s a little excerpt from National Mutt Day about this special day’s history, and how it all came about:
National Mutt Day, also known as National Mixed Breed Dog Day, was created in 2005 by Celebrity Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate, Colleen Paige and is celebrated on both July 31st and December 2nd. National Mutt Day is all about embracing, saving and celebrating mixed breed dogs.
The biggest percentage of dogs abandoned and euthanized is due to the constant over-breeding and public desire of designer dogs and pure bred puppies that are sold to pet stores supplied by puppy mills that often produce ill and horribly neglected animals.
-National Mutt Day
In retrospect, most dog owners would prefer to pick a pedigree dog breed over any street mongrel roaming their neighborhood. These dogs are often driven into a different neighborhood and released by irresponsible owners who often claim they didn’t know what they were getting into in the first place.
Here’s a scenario for example. Think about how ironic it is for someone to own a dog with high energy when they live in an apartment and lead a sedentary life. When the dog becomes anxious because of the lack of exercise or room to roam in, the owner would probably get tired of having chewed belongings and punish the dog by locking it in a room somewhere. Or worse — let it roam out on the street for good. When it’s mating season, mongrels and purebreds don’t discriminate — they’ll just mate and overpopulate an area. So in all honesty, whose fault is it — the dog’s, or the owner’s, for not really thinking things through before getting the dog?
How You Can Help
According to National Today, here’s what you can do to put an end to these canine companions living the street life.
- Adopt a mixed breed dog
There are lots of great dogs out there who lack a home just because they don’t have the right pedigree. But you can do your part to change all that. Getting any dog is a big responsibility, but a mixed breed will likely be healthier, happier, better behaved — and live longer than a purebred of the same age. - Donate to your local shelter
Not in the position to adopt a mutt? You can still help out your local shelter with a donation. Your money goes to things like food, toys, and medicine. Every dollar counts, so you can really make a difference in the lives of all the dogs there. - Volunteer to help out
If donations aren’t your style, you can always volunteer. Shelters need volunteers to befriend the dogs, play with them, and take them for walks. A few hours of your time can make a big difference in their happiness, and happy dogs stand a better chance of getting adopted. - - National Today
If you didn’t already know…
Mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier, better behaved, they live longer and are just as able to perform the duties of pure bred dogs — such as bomb and drug sniffing, search and rescue and guiding the blind. There are millions of loving and healthy mixed breed dogs sitting in shelters, who are desperately searching for a new home.
- National Mutt Day
Are you taking photographs of dogs? Check out how you can use the golden ratio to snap great photos of your canine companion right here. Also, you might wanna consider monetizing your dog photos!
Originally published at https://blog.123rf.com.
