National Mutt Day at TSS At TSS, we have a few dedicated dog owners and lovers among us. In honour of National Mutt Day, we wanted to celebrate our beloved furry companions, though not all are ‘Mutts’, but any excuse for dog photos, right? Back to the topic. Around 130,000 dogs are given to shelters each year in the UK. The harsh reality is, without proper re-homing the future for these canines is quite bleak. So rather than paying rather large amounts of money for a puppy, why not adopt a dog instead! Retired Grey Hounds, for example, can be really low maintenance, loving family dogs. 10 minutes of zoomies a day and then they’ll happily snooze the rest of day away. Make sure you understand the dog’s needs before adopting; Working dogs are exactly that – but most don’t realise, the work will involve YOU! Great dogs for those who love the outdoors and have time to fit long walks into everyday life. Volunteer at an Animal Rescue Centre For those not ready to adopt but still wanting to make a difference, consider volunteering at a local animal rescue centre. National Mutt Day is an excellent motivation to spend time with some wonderful dogs who need all the TLC they can get! There is research showing that simply petting a dog lowers cortisol, the stress hormone. And social interaction between people and their dogs increases levels of oxytocin, the feel-good hormone. It’s a win-win scenario!