Black Cat Day, Pet Obesity Awareness Day, Black Dog Day … And Other October Events

01 Winston Churchill may have forever associated black dogs with dark moods, but the truth is the joy and loyalty they give owners is no less or more than any other dog, although they are less likely to be adopted. Help change that by sharing the message that they need a home, too, via #NationalBlackDogDay on your social media channels.

01 One in five Americans claims German heritage, making the country the leading ancestral background of U.S. citizens. Germany is also the origin of several popular dog breeds: German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Pomeranians, Schnauzers, Dachshunds, Dobermans. And let’s not overlook the debt we owe German immigrants for bringing some of the world’s best beer and sausages to our shores. What’s it all add up to? Oktoberfest. Strike up the Oompah band!

01  Research by the Carnegie Institute of Technology has estimated that 85 percent of an individual’s financial success can be attributable to “human engineering skills” — that is personality and ability to communicate, negotiate and lead. In short, success is much more about EQ than IQ. During EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AWARENESS MONTH, ask yourself what you can do to improve your ability to make others feel valued and understood.

10  According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 60 percent of the cats and 56 percent of the dogs in America are overweight, raising the risk of conditions from arthritis to heart failure. Use PET OBESITY AWARENESS DAY to inform your customers about the dangers, and what you can do to help through nutritious food offerings, advice and the services you offer.

13 It’s Getting the World to Beat a Path to Your Door Week. Often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, his actual phrase was: “If a man has good corn, or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell … you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house.” The snappier version was coined by a New York ad man. The lesson? Innovation and marketing are the two main ways to grow a business. Concentrate on better words.

16 October is clearly furball month. Today is FERAL CAT DAY. The 27th is BLACK CAT DAY. And then the 29th is the biggest of them all: CAT DAY. The common theme among them all is to celebrate the special bonds cats have with humans. Get involved.

29 Think the internet is a fairly recent invention? It turns 50 today. Yes, 5-0. It’s middle aged, and bloated with too much information and the odd chronic virus, but unlike the rest of us, it gets better every year. If your online presence is little more than an electronic brochure for your business, sit down today and map out a more aggressive online strategy. The future is not waiting for you.

31 Trick or Treat? It’s Halloween, probably the single best national holiday for exploring the goofiness in your customers’ relationships with their pets. Invite customers to dress up their dogs and cats for a baked treat and to get their picture taken for a Howloween costume contest on your Instagram or Twitter feeds.