Did you know that May 11 was National Dog Mom’s Day?

By Nina Steele 

If this is the first you’ve heard of the national dog mom’s day, then you are not alone. I first came across it in an article published on people.com. After doing a bit of digging, I found out that this new tradition started recently, in 2018. It is the brainchild of an organisation called Dig – The Dog Person’s Dating App. It is said that “Dig – The Dog Person’s Dating App founded National Dog Mom’s Day to celebrate and thank the dog moms who dedicate their love and support every day to their dogs”. The celebration is to be observed on the second Saturday of May each year.

Hubby and I do not own a dog but we are surrounded by people who do. We encounter dog owners regularly on our walks. I often joke that we know the psychology of dogs so well now as a result of our encounters that we may as well own one.

People love their dogs, and I have been privy to that love on many occasions. One of my former colleagues was a proud dog mom. She talked about her dog all time. She was in her 50s, with no children. That dog was everything to her. A former neighbour in her 70s spent her time mostly with her dog. She did have children, but as is often the case, she didn’t see them that much and so her everyday life was made up mainly of her and her dog.

Recently, a devoted user of this website posted a thread on the forum. She had recently lost her beloved dog. The post read: “It is a week today from the sad day my adorable Westie passed away. I am still so devastated and I miss him a lot because I was his mummy. He gave me so many years of joy and companionship that I would cherish for the rest of my life. He’ll forever be irreplaceable and unforgettable”. As I later found out, a ‘Westie’ is short for West Highland Terrier.

Back in August 2017, I published the story of a woman who chose not to remarry after her divorce, and instead, she chose to prioritise her relationship with her dogs. I remember someone on social media mentioning the pain of losing a dog. The point he was trying to make was that dogs have a shorter lifespan and so a heartbreak was never far off. I remember thinking that just because humans generally live longer does not mean anyone with a dog, or a pet in general, should love them less. Humans die young too. Apart from in very rare cases, most of us do not know when it will be time for us to depart this world. All we can do, is live our lives the best we can.