National Puppy Day is March 23

Celebrate Puppy Love in all its glory on National Puppy Day.

Pet lifestyle expert, animal behaviorist and author Colleen Paige founded this holiday in 2006. Paige created this holiday to not only cherish the unconditional love that puppies give us, but also educate the public about puppy mills and encourage a nation of puppy-free pet stores, according to NationalPuppyDay.com.

Paige also founded National Dog Day (August 26), National Cat Day (October 29) and National Mutt Day (December 2).

How to celebrate
NationalPuppyDay.com lists 50 ways to honor the puppies in our lives, and here are five of our favorites:

• Adopt a puppy from a local animal shelter.
• Volunteer at a shelter near you by cleaning cages or playing with puppies.
• Host a puppy wash and donate the proceeds to an area humane society.
• Make sure your puppy is up-to-date on his veterinarian visits and vaccines.
• Bake some love into homemade dog treats for your puppy. For recipes, check out Amanda Dethlefsen Marijanovic’s article “Fidough Recipes for Dog Biscuits.”