National Dog Day

Today, Thursday, August 26, 2015 is National Dog Day. If you've got a dog or puppy of any kind be sure and give them a hug today. And, you can even post a pic here of your friend if you like.

This is another one of those holidays that I just sigh and ask myself "why?" I'm not trying to be a spoilsport, but all these "National such-and-such days" for basically everything under the sun just devalues the idea of holidays and special days to me. Especially this one - is there a particular reason that it should fall on the same day as the anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment in 1920 in the US, which granted women the right to vote and has been dubbed women's equality day, a event worth commemorating as a major step forward for human rights in the US, and an issue society still has yet to fully grapple with? I don't think so. When it comes to special National days, I feel women's equality and the celebration and commemoration of massively expanding a basic human right is far more worthwhile than celebrating and commemorating dogs, even if you love them. But the latter far overshadowed the former yesterday.

Anyone who owns a dog should love and treat him/her well everyday, not just National dog day, and the same goes for cat owners, as there's also a National cat day, apparently. And just to be clear, I do happen to love dogs, my allergies to some breeds notwithstanding. I'm just not into the whole "National (random thing) day," and when one of those random things, no matter how much it's generally loved, overshadows an important historical event and step in human/American history, and the fact that it's still worth talking about today because it remains an issue in many ways, I feel our societal priorities are a touch out of order.

Yes, I'm aware this may be a controversial opinion and I'm taking the fun out of something intended to be fun, but I still felt I should raise this point.