National Pet Day

National Pet Day is April 11 in the United States, a day to appreciate pets and the people who care for them.

The next date is April 11, 2027. Dates follow Mountain Time, America/Denver. Stories below are from the archive.

By Tazzora Editorial Team

Add to your calendar All dates For classrooms

How to take part

Free and safe. No fee, no student email, and no trip taken alone.

Refill a water bowl and give a pet the walk or the quiet it already needs.
Share a shelter's adopt-or-foster post only if you are an adult and the shelter asked.
Read a story about a reunion, a foster home, or an adoption.

For classrooms

A short prompt for a teacher to use with children. This page is for adults.

Draw a pet or a shelter animal from a photo the teacher provides. Do not bring animals to class. Do not share a home address.

More stories a teacher can read aloud are in the Kids section.

Stories from the archive

A person walking a path in a park, with a dog nearby

Animals

Traverse City, Michigan

Cherryland Humane Society will open a monthly pet-food pantry

Starting October 28, Cherryland Humane Society and Hoop’s Pet Food Pantry will give out pet food on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Verified · 9&10 News

How to help

A small brown tabby kitten with green eyes, sitting alone

Animals

Cincinnati, Ohio

A Cincinnati kitten with a handmade wheelchair found a home

Shelter staff built a wheelchair from Hot Wheels and rulers for a stray kitten with a back injury. Tattoo artist Hope Hollandsworth adopted him.

Verified · The Washington Post

How to help

A shaggy gray and white dog running on a dirt path, with no people

Animals

Seward, Nebraska

Seward's Barktoberfest raised money for a local pet rescue

More than 20 dogs turned up at Junto Winery for the third annual event. Blue River Pet Rescue has recorded nearly 200 adoptions so far in 2026.

Verified · Seward Independent

How to help

The Gold Star Memorial Bridge, a long steel truss span over a wide river

Animals

Waterford, Connecticut

He pulled a kitten from the Thames under the Gold Star Bridge, then adopted her

Laborer Bobby Silva, 26, of Waterford, scooped up a 5-week-old kitten that had fallen about 120 feet into the Thames. She had no broken bones, and he adopted her and named her Molly.

Verified · NBC Connecticut

How to help

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