5 Acts Of Kindness To Show Your Pet
Celebrating its 27th year in 2022 – ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ Day is perhaps the most positive day in the celebration calendar! RAK Day is an entire 24 hours dedicated to kindness, care and consideration for everyone we may come across, with an aim to encourage this spirit throughout the rest of the year.
Did you know that being kind to others actually makes you feel great? It boosts serotonin and dopamine levels, which give us feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and causes the pleasure/reward centres in our brains to fire into action.
Studies show that pets can have a similar uplifting effect on our moods when it comes to serotonin and dopamine. This is great news, as according to the PDSA, 51% of UK adults own a pet. That equates to a whopping 10.7 million cats and 9.6 million dogs… and a lot of happiness and potential paw-sitivity to celebrate for Random Acts of Kindness Day!
Here we’ve rounded up the best ways to show your pets kindness, which in return will make you feel fantastic as well.
1. Going raw
Domesticated dogs and cats rely on their owners when it comes to their nutrition. The absolute best way that you can show kindness to your pets is to give them the best nutrition they can get to live happy and healthy lives. The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food approach to feeding is scientifically proven to provide all of the nutrition and satisfaction that dogs and cats need to live as naturally and healthily as possible. You probably know that we’re huge advocates of this approach, which is engrained in our company culture. Learn about BARF principles and how to feed your pets the best possible diet here and explore our entire raw food portfolio here. Remember you can always chat with us about any questions you may have when it comes to feeding raw!
2. Treats
Who doesn’t love a treat?! Whether it’s a reward for good behaviour, or just a moment of indulgence, a tasty treat is always well received. Just the same as their core diet, pet treats are best off raw and natural. There are lots of options when it comes to raw pet treats, including bones, chews and puffs. Pick some delicious treats to show kindness to your pet here today.
3. Doggy play date
Dogs are social animals, and most of them love to play and explore with other dogs. If you have friends that own dogs, or know a popular spot for dog walkers, perhaps take your dog for a play with other four-legged friends for a boost to their social skills and stimulate their pack senses. Of course, you know your pup best and if they are not usually keen on other dogs then this activity is best avoided.
4. Speak kindly!
Dogs and cats are highly intelligent and intuitive creatures, and we should give them a lot of credit for how much they understand when it comes to our verbal communication. Using a friendly tone with kind words when we communicate with our animals is proven to be most effective and have the most positive impact on them. Please remember that shouting at, scolding or verbally abusing pets is NEVER ok, and can have a very detrimental effect on their wellbeing.
5. Show kindness in the animal community
Of course, all animals deserve kindness, and we shouldn’t limit this activity to the pets that we own. There are plenty of ways to show kindness in the animal community, including donating to an animal charity, committing to going cruelty-free with all of your cosmetic/ household products, reaching out to your local shelter to see if they need any help, picking up litter in areas where there are lots of wild animals, and creating animal sanctuaries in your garden (hedgehog houses, bird feeders and trays etc.). Every small act of kindness adds up, and together we can make a real change to the welfare of animals everywhere.
Follow our Facebook and Instagram activity to see how we will be celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day this year… there may even be some surprises in store for some random, lucky customers!
