For any pet owner, every day is a day to celebrate having a furry friend in your life. Besides bringing joy, companionship and love, they are also loyal and will always be there for you.
But because today is National Pet Day, we wanted to ask three celebrity dog moms what this day means to them.
We caught up with the parents of Tuna Melts Your Heart, Toast Meets World and Finn at a “pup-up” shop in Manhattan at the High Line Hotel that benefited Friends of Finn, an organization looking to raise awareness and funs to put an end to the puppy mill industry.
Here is what they had to say.
Tuna’s mom Courtney Dasher
Mom to Tuna, a rescued “chiweenie” that has taken over Instagram with more than 1.2 million followers checking out Tuna Melts My Heart, been featured in a Volkswagen commercial, has his own best-selling book and more, Courtney Dasher thinks today is a time to show your pet how much he or she means to you.
Tuna with his mom Courtney
“I just think it is a great day to celebrate the love that you have for you dog or cat or ferret or any kind of pet that you have. But I think every day is National pet day and today is just a great designated day to celebrate what that is.”
Related: ‘Tuna Melts My Heart ‘ Is a Scene Stealer in Volkswagen Commercial
Finn’s mom Amanda Hearst
Amanda Hearst is mom to Finn, a dog that she bought at a pet store, before realizing most of these dogs come from puppy mills. She has now made it her purpose to educate people about the atrocities of these massive breeding facilities, the physical and mental harm these places have on dogs and pushing for people to consider adoption over buying. Her dog Finn is the “spokespup” for her anti-puppy mill organization, Friends of Finn, and she believes today is one to focus on her #AdoptDontShop mission
Related: How Having a Dog Made These Famous People’s Lives Better
“When I hear National Pet Day, what I hope people think is to rescue and adopt because for some long people have been buying from pet stores thinking that they didn’t work with puppy mills but the fact of the matter is almost all the dogs from pet stores come from puppy mills. So when people think about getting pets and celebrate pets, I hope that they remember to adopt don’t shop.”
Toast’s mom Katie Sturino
Mom to Toast, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel that was rescued from a puppy mill and now helps spread awareness to all of her fans on her Instagram account Toast Meets World (219,000 and counting) has made time to be a dog super model, just landed on the cover of Lucky and is just the lady around town, believes that today is a day to celebrate adoption.
Toast with her mom and sister Muppet
“Obviously all dogs are loved, whether you buy them from a breeder or from a shelter, but I think that when you adopt them, they know that you saved them somehow. It is a deeper connection.”
Related: Toast Meets the Real Griswolds
