HSM Staff Celebrate National Dog Day

By Andrew Greenway, 9/3/19

Monday, August 26th marked the beginning of the second week of Fall classes for students at Illinois Central College. While on the surface appears to be a fairly uneventful day, campuses buzzing with students commuting to classes and staff going to and fro about their duties, a select few recognized the day as a celebration for pet owners and pet lovers.

Last Monday marked the 15th anniversary of National Dog Day since its founding in 2004 by nationally-recognized animal advocate Colleen Paige. The date was chosen by Paige for its significance to her family, it marked the day when they adopted her first dog, Sheltie when she was 10-years old and since then has been recognized the world over, according to official holiday’s website. From being featured in the Farmer’s Almanac, anticipated by CNBC, promoted in humorous fashion by the Huffington Post, and celebrated by local humane societies across the country, the tradition’s coverage seems to wax and wane in popularity. However, this hasn’t stopped the Harbinger Student Media staff from sharing their love for their favorite canine companions.

Every semester, Harbinger Student Media staff invites new members from all areas of interest to join and gain the first-hand experience as part of a team of student journalists. We’ve been honored to have these new faces provide their new insight into the community and help us reach out beyond the campus. One of our newest members, Savannah Harwood, was gracious enough to help us celebrate the holiday with her dog, Ralphie.

In addition to newcomers, many of our staff members return from prior semesters, such as in the case of Tony Voss who made this lovely collage of his dogs, all which sport a theme from a galaxy far, far away.

National Dog Day not only brings communities of dog lovers together, but it also aims to raise awareness of the bravery showcased by the animals who bring us joy and comfort. As stated on nationaldogday.com, “National Dog Day celebrates all dogs, mixed breed and pure. Our mission is to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year and acknowledges family dogs and dogs that work selflessly each day to save lives, keep us safe and bring comfort. Dogs put their lives on the line every day…for personal protection, law enforcement, for the disabled…by detecting bombs and drugs and pulling victims of tragedy from wreckage.”

On the same page, Colleen elaborates on the need to seek humane treatment of dogs as well. “Millions of dogs are killed each year because they’re simply unwanted. They’re unwanted because no one realized how to properly care for the demands of the breed. They’re unwanted because they were bought as a Christmas gift for a child that didn’t keep their promises about caring for the dog…because they shed too much…bark too much…because someone changed their mind. All a dog wants to do is love you and be loved by you. Dogs are amazing, courageous, sensitive and sentient beings that deserve compassion and respect.”

Advocacy against the mistreatment or neglect of animals is clearly one of the core tenants of the holiday’s creation. Although to an outside observer, the obscurity of the holiday may work against this goal, pet owners such as Tony and Savannah put this goal into action every day by caring for their furbabies.

When asked about stories he’d like to share, Tony describes the circumstances in which he first bought his big chocolate Labrador, Luke:

“I would say one is how we did not know we were gonna get Luke, we went to Pet Smart for a goldfish and came home with a 130-pound lab. He was an abandoned dog. This lovable, sweet boy someone just left on the street. He was skinny and scared, but he was so loving. We adopted him that day and found out afterward that it was his final day before he would have been put down. And we have not regretted it for one day!”

Tags: around campus, dogs, Harbinger Student Media, holidays, pets