How To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With Pets

What is St. Patrick’s Day?

Saint Patrick’s Day, also known as St. Paddy’s day is named after St. Patrick, believed to be a Welsh-born former slave and one the most prominent patron saints of Ireland. The festival is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world. It is both a cultural and religious celebration, denoting the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, but the holiday is more widely regarded as a more generalized celebration of Irish culture and heritage – where many believe that on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish. And, considering the prominent place of dogs in Irish history and culture there’s no reason not to include your favorite pooch in the festivities! Here are four of our favorite ways to include your pets in the St. Patrick’s Day celebration! 

1) Bring Your Dog to a St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Is your dog a people person? Do they enjoy crowds and loud noises? If it’s nice out and not too crowded, why not check out a St. Patrick’s Day parade? Neither too hot or too cold, for many locales in the United States, particularly for those dog lovers living in Southern or Mid Atlantic states, like Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., North Caroline and South Carolina, the weather in mid March can make for great extended dog walking weather. If you do decide to attend a St. Patrick’s Day parade, be sure to remain hyper aware of the crowds (never risk your dog being trampled or feeling trapped) and conscious of the noise. Any parade can be a loud affair. But St. Patrick’s Day parades tend to feature a lot of loud drum lines and high pitched bagpipe performances

2) Stay Home & Eat Corned Beef & Cabbage

Most vets and dog trainers don’t advise giving dogs table scraps. As the practice can fatten your dog and encourage a number of unwanted behaviors, such as begging. But as I like to tell my own primary care physician whenever he calls me fat, “we’re here for a good time – not for a long time”. Corned beef does tend to be pretty fatty and is loaded with salt, so you don’t want to over do it. Or try one of our yummy St. Patrick's Day Dog Treats!

But maybe, don’t feed your dog any boiled cabbage – especially if they’re already notoriously gassy. You’ve been warned!

3) Dress your Dog in Green

On St. Paddy’s day everyone is Irish – including dogs! A green handkerchief folded in to a bandanna can be a cheap and easy way to help your dog show its Irish pride. If that isn’t festive enough for your liking, you could always purchase a green sweater for your pup or even pickup a leprechaun costume for your dog from your local pet supply store.

4) Make Your Own St. Patrick’s Day Costumes!

For a more creative and inspired take on dog costumes for photos, visit your favorite thrift store (such as Salvation Army and Goodwill) and look for St. Patrick’s Day themed kids clothes. Small breeds in particular can often find great fitting and high quality toddler and baby clothes at most thrift stores. These outfits may need a few modifications or a bit of quick tailoring to fit well enough for walks. But even loosely fitting costumes can add a little extra oomph to seated pet portraits.