National Pet Month is in full swing

Pet and veterinary professionals have been urged to get involved in this year’s National Pet Month April 1 – May 1 and help raise awareness of responsible pet ownership. The charity, now in its 28th year, would like the profession to come together and use the month-long campaign to talk about good pet care with clients and help raise funds for UK pet charities. Vet professionals can do this by joining in social media chats using the hashtag #NPMLaunch or #NationalPetMonth and organising or attending pet themed events to showcase to clients and potential clients how they can support them in looking after their pet, and to raise money for local pet charities. ‘There’s a pet out there for you’ National Pet Month’s main theme this year is ‘There’s a pet out there for you’, highlighting that there is a pet out there for everyone, whatever walk of life they’re from, but it’s important to choose the best fit for their lifestyle. The aim is to encourage UK pet fans to understand the importance of choosing the right pet for them and to seek the advice of vet and pet professionals. This year National Pet Month is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Tesco Bank Pet Insurance who have become 2017’s headline sponsor. Michael Bellingham, chairman of National Pet Month is calling on all UK vets and pet lovers to get involved. He said: “National Pet Month is an umbrella charity, offering a fantastic opportunity to join together to celebrate our country’s great love of pets, to remind us of the importance of taking good care of our pets and to help people raise funds for the UK’s incredible pet charities who help so many pets in need. “Check out our five simple ways to get involved during National Pet Month, whether it’s to raise awareness or raise funds. We can promote what you do through our social media channels and the events map on our website – www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk”. Get involved Five simple ways vet and pet professionals can join in National Pet Month 2017: Register as an NPM supporter at http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/_members/. It’s free and only takes a minute. Follow NPM on social media www.fb.com/NationalPetMonth, www.fb.com/JoinScratchingPost (cat fans), www.fb.com/JoinParkBench (dog fans) and on Twitter @NatPetMonthUK. Put on an event. Use the event toolkit at http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/toolkit for tips and hints – there’s all sorts of things to do. Maybe stage a fundraising event for your favourite pet charity – a sponsored dog walk, or hold a practice open day to show what you can offer. A take your dog to work day or a pet friendly church service are all great fundraisers. Use the ‘top ten tips’ – with a poster to download – to give simple advice – and check out the ‘Harvey’ resources there too. Get involved with your local school. Offer to visit. With valuable input from TV vet Marc Abraham, NPM has pet themed lesson plans which can be downloaded from http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk/schools, and there are more resources on the Pet Education Resources website http://www.peteducationresources.co.uk/ Do you or any of your clients have an inspiring rescue pet story to share? Tell NPM about it and you could feature on the NPM blog. Email stories@turquoisetiger.co.uk For more information on National Pet Month go to www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk