How to Celebrate Memorial Day with Your Pets

Memorial Day, May 31.

Memorial Day is an American holiday honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May and is the unofficial kickoff of summer.

Many Americans have this day off and celebrate it by having a BBQ or hanging out with friends. Unfortunately, during these National holidays, our furry friends tend to be forgotten. We want to share some ways to celebrate the holiday and include your pets when you can.

Things to do on Memorial Day

Go For a Walk

Before the festivities begin, take your furry friend for a walk or to the dog park. You’ll want to be sure that you bring plenty of water for you and your dog. If you’re thirsty, they probably are too!

Go For a Joy Ride

Who doesn’t love the wind blowing through their hair or fur?! Going for a car ride is an excellent way to spend any holiday vacation. If you’re overdue, make sure your dog wears a pet-friendly harness. Take them with you for a day full of errands, and they’ll love the fresh air and bonding time with you. This is an excellent opportunity to have your dog pick out some new toys at the pet store. Remember not to leave them in the car alone for ANY length of time.

Go Camping

Everyone loves the outdoors, especially our furry friends. Spending the weekend outdoors in nature allows for some fantastic bonding and quality time with you and your pup. With all the new sights, sounds, and smells, you and your dog will be in heaven.

Teach Them a New Trick

Memorial Day weekend is an excellent opportunity to spend some special time training your dog. You could book some time at a professional dog training facility; ensuring that you’ll see measurable improvements of your dog in a short amount of time. Another option is watching YouTube videos on How to Teach My Dog New Tricks.

Keep them Safe During the Festivities

Barbecues

One of the most common activities on Memorial Day is barbecuing. Be sure to keep your dog away from the barbecue grill. Even the best-behaved dog might be drawn in by the delicious smells of food cooking on the grill (who wouldn’t be?) without realizing the potential danger it poses.

Unattended food and drinks

Memorial Day is a casual, laid-back day. People tend to come and go from the table, leaving plates of food and alcoholic drinks unattended. To keep your dog from helping himself to unsafe foods or alcohol, ask your guests to throw away their trash in the garbage. A trash can with a lid is best because trash bags can easily spill, be knocked over, or be torn open.

Protection

Remember to keep your dog at bay when applying sunscreen or bug spray. SPF protection for humans often contains chemicals that may be toxic to dogs, including the common ingredient zinc oxide. Many bug sprays contain DEET, which is also harmful to dogs. Look for dog-safe sunscreens and bug repellants.

Hydrate and Keep Them Healthy

Be sure to create an area where your dog can take solace from the sun. Set up a special spot with a towel to lay on, cool water to drink, and your dog should be more than happy to take a break in the shade. Heatstroke is very common in dogs, so be sure to keep an eye out for early signs of overheating, such as panting, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate with bounding pulses.

Keep your dogs happy and healthy with salmon oil for dogs. Salmon oil has been extensively researched for several years. The natural omega-3 fatty acids in salmon oil provide dogs with essential nutrients that they cannot obtain from any other source. Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be produced by dogs. This is an essential nutrient they must get from their diet.

We hope that you enjoy the Memorial Day weekend with your friends, family, and fur babies! Be sure to share how you celebrate this day/weekend with your fur-baby on social media! Tag us @vitalpetlife with the hashtags #memorialdayfun #memorialday #memorialdayweekend #usa #love #america