It’s National Dog Day 2024

Save a dog Today!

At Imbue, we LOVE National Dog Day! As most of you know, we’re huge animal lovers. We support large rescues like ASPCA, as well as smaller local Southern California rescues. And we’ve featured some of our own rescue “family members” in our Journal articles.

Dogs can add so much to our lives. And those of us at Imbue speak with experience. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without all the wonderful, truly remarkable Doberman girls we’ve rescued. You see, there are real biological and psychological benefits to canine companionship. Studies have shown that petting and cuddling with your dog releases oxytocin in the brain. Oxytocin is typically linked to warm, fuzzy feelings and shown in research to lower stress and anxiety. Oxytocin has the power to regulate our emotional responses and pro-social behaviors, including trust, empathy, gazing, positive memories, processing of bonding cues, and positive communication.

This is of course the reason why many doctors recommend Emotional Support Dogs (also known as ESA’s) to patients who suffer from high anxiety and stress disorders. For many people with mental or emotional conditions, the presence of a dog is critical to their ability to function normally on a daily basis. The pet provides emotional support and comfort that helps them deal with challenges that might otherwise compromise their quality of life.

But these benefits aren’t just available to someone with an ESA dog. Just petting your dog has been shown to lower blood pressure which ultimately lowers stress. And of course, releases oxytocin.

Well over 3 million dogs enter US shelters annually. While many people adopted a pet during the height of the Covid Pandemic and euthanasia of canines decreased dramatically, things are changing in shelters across the country. Many dogs have been surrendered as rising costs due to inflation have overburdened many families.

And recently this has turned to a crisis. Nearly a million more pets are crowding the nation’s animal shelters and facilities compared to three years ago, with more dogs than cats euthanized last year for the first time since 2016. While most people believe that animals that are getting euthanized are sick, unwell, or extremely old, that’s not always the case. Most of the animals that end up euthanized were healthy and could have been adopted if there had been more people that stepped forward.

But YOU can make a difference. If you don’t have a dog in your life, we urge to think about adopting one. It’s a crisis…but you can definitely help. Adopt a dog today as a gift to yourself and your family and save some of these wonderful and deserving dogs.

With all our best,

Imbue