APRIL

1 Get your social media followers giggling with an April Fools’ Day post. In 2023, Wagabonz in Galveston, TX, introduced Grooming for Kids — featuring cootie and de-shed treatments — with an April 1 discount of 45% off the regular $200 price. Have fun with it!

11 Think of National Pet Day as your wildcard opportunity or free bingo space for the year. As a pet business, you can promote whatever you want however you want on this day.

20 Bunny + Baskets + Egg Hunt = Easter event success. Or just pick one of the three and hop with it. Ideas from previous years: Bark on Park in Jacksonville, FL, invited the Easter Bunny to daycare and snapped fun photos for pet parents. Mutts & Co. stores in Ohio provided free baskets with the purchase of two or more items from its Easter collection, with additional savings for customers who bought three or four products. The deal drove foot traffic as an in-store-only offer. And many businesses either hosted and/or co-sponsored community egg hunts for pups, offering a holiday enrichment activity. Tuck discount or other coupons into those plastic eggs with the treats!

22 On Earth Day, follow the lead of Hero’s Pets in Littleton, CO. Its “Hero’s Guide to Keeping the Earth Happy” display in 2024 shined a spotlight on Earth-friendly brands and products the store carries. A chalkboard sign touted the companies as those that support sustainability, are plastic negative or neutral, and/or use recycled materials.

26 For Hairball Awareness Day each year, Nature’s Feed in Spring Grove, IL, shares education on its socials while also promoting moisture-rich foods and treats, supplements and at-home grooming tools. You also could throw pet-friendly cleaning products into any promotions you do for when hairballs do come up. The day also serves as an excellent reminder that cats can benefit from regular professional grooming, too.

MAY

1 Embrace Prom Season this month like Wagging Tails Pet Resort & Spaw in West Hartford, CT. Last year, daycare and boarding pups donned “formal attire,” posed for pics in front of a glittering backdrop, and danced the day away, with a prom queen and two prom kings being named. Make prom tickets part of an add-on package!

4 For Star Wars Day in 2024, Nautical Dog and Schwartzy’s Cat Cove in Williamsburg, VA, hosted an adoption event with special guest stars from the 501st Legion. Fans of all ages flew to the store to meet and take photos with Storm Troopers, The Mandalorian and other Star Wars characters, helping to boost exposure for the cove’s adoptable kitties and sales for the day.

8 Mark National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day by creating a shopping list for the ultimate emergency kit, which customers can then customize for their pet. Include must-haves such as shelf-stable food, calming treats, a new ID tag, first-aid supplies and whatever else pet parents in your area might need. Consider a discount that goes up in small increments by the number of products purchased.

10 & 11 Dog Mom Day and Mother’s Day weekend offer endless opportunities to promote your business and show love to customers. A favorite idea from last year: Shop Dog Boutique in Sioux Falls, SD, helped customers decorate flower pots with their pup’s paw print. Brunch with pet-friendly waffles for pups and mimosas for people, decorated photo sets, and fresh flowers for moms are among other ideas for the holidays.