I was looking through a calendar to see how I was doing with meeting several writing deadlines which had seemingly come all at once. October 4 was one of my deadlines and my gaze went to this day. However, my deadline was not the only thing marked on October 4. On this particular calendar October 4 was "World Pet’s Day." I had never heard of such a day. Was this a relatively new day or has it been acknowledged for some time?

I assume that this day was marked on this particular calendar because it was sent to me by an animal welfare organization. Was "World Pet’s Day" acknowledged on other calendars? I checked another calendar nearby. No such day was marked on October 4. A quick search on the Internet turned up little information about this day.

Do we need a "World Pet’s Day?" Will acknowledging such a day help companion animals? Companion animals are treated better in Canada than they are in many other countries. Yet animal shelters and pounds are full of friendly, wonderful dogs and cats. Many of these animals are killed because there are not enough good homes for them. Many other companion animals are neglected or treated cruelly . Most do not receive the love, respect and care that they all deserve.

It is up to all of us to ensure that animals are treated with respect. We can do this by leading by example and providing the very best for our own animal companions. Raising our children to respect and enjoy companion animals for the beautiful, sentient beings that they are is also very important. Taking the time to teach others to be kind to animals and, when necessary, informing the proper authorities when we see animals being neglected or mistreated is also vital if we are to improve the way pets are treated.

There are plenty of things that can be done for companion animals. Pets are much of what is good in the world. They deserve only the best. But do we really need a day to remind our species how special they are? Every day must be "World Pet’s Day." And we must never forget this!