Monday, April 11, was National Pet Day, and we asked you to share your furry, scaly and feathery friends with us.
National Pet Day was founded in 2006 by animal welfare advocate and pet expert Colleen Paige.
She decided to create the day, celebrated around the world on April 11, to recognise the joy pets can bring to people.
She also wanted to bring attention to the ongoing needs of many pets of all kinds, waiting in shelters to be adopted. She encouraged people who want purebred dogs and cats to contact rescue organisations instead of going to a breeder.
‘Don’t Shop! Adopt!’ has become the day’s motto.
In 1973, the Humane Society of the United States estimated that 13 million cats and dogs enter shelters every year. Some were strays, some were surrendered by owners who could no longer care for them, some were seized in legal actions.
National Pet Day got its start in the United States, but it soon expanded internationally. Pet lovers now mark the day in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Guam, Scotland and, of course, Australia.
Celebrities have also taken up the cause. National Pet Day has been promoted by Taylor Swift, Ellen De Generes, Ricky Gervais, Cee Lo Green, Jimmy Fallon, Willy Nelson, Kevin Bacon, Seth Myers and Carrie Underwood, among others.
When President Barack Obama was in office, he warmed political hearts on both sides of the aisle with his posted pic of Bo, one of the two Portuguese water dogs who shared the White House with him. Bo was rehomed when he couldn’t get along with an older dog owned by a family in Texas.