It’s International Dog Day, and Toronto is spotlighting all of its paw-some, four-legged residents across the city!
The annual holiday was created in 2004 by U.S.-based animal advocate and pet expert Colleen Paige. While the special day recognizes dogs of all breeds, it also brings awareness to the growing number of dogs in rescue centres searching for their furever homes and to encourage adoption, according to the International Organization for Animal Protection.
On Monday morning, the City of Toronto posted a thread on X to commemorate the day, while also highlighting the several pups in need of adoption due to overcrowded animal shelters.
There were quite a few events over the Aug. 24 to 25 weekend in the city that honoured International Dog Day, including Pups in the Park at St. Andrew’s Playground. The event featured a dog pool, ball pits, a pup parade and tons of giveaways and freebies.
If your pup missed out on this event, there’s one more coming up this week to get their tail wagging!
Bark in the Park TO returns from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at Woodbine Park, and is four days of canine extravaganza! Dogs can receive gourmet treats, stylish accessories, and innovative toys, as well as participate in a number of activities like costume contests, obstacle courses, play zones and splash pads.
MOST POPULAR DOG BREEDS IN TORONTO
There are over one million pet owners in Toronto, and pet-sitting application Rover recently released a survey ahead of International Dog Day that focused on the most common dog breeds in the city.
Topping the list was mixed breed dogs, which accounted for 62 per cent of dogs in the city.
Following mixed breed dogs were Goldendoodles, Cockapoos, Golden and Labrador retrievers, Shih tzus, Chihuahuas, French bulldogs, Yorkshire terriers and lastly, German Shepherds.
“As a city of almost 3 million people Toronto has a well-earned reputation as an exciting and multicultural melting-pot,” the Rover report said.
“It was no surprise to find that the city’s popular breeds are a snapshot of diverging tastes.”
The survey also looked at trending dog breeds this year, highlighting which breeds were most on the rise. Some of those breeds included Great Dane, Cocker Spaniel, Samoyed, Chow Chow and Akita Inu.
The data also highlighted the rarest dog breeds in the city by analyzing the least common among pet owners in Toronto. These included Wire Fox Terrier, Tibetan Spaniel, Teddy Roosevelt Terrier and Scotch Collie.
“The rarest was the Wire Fox Terrier, which originated in the early 19th century in Britain as a hunting dog. Second place goes to the Tibetan Spaniel, also known as ‘comforter dogs’ due to their affinity for non-stop snuggling,” Rover said.
“But don’t let this fool you – they’re also spirited and smart and require mental stimulation to stay truly content.”
