National Mutt Day – December 2

National Mutt Day, also known as National Mixed Breed Dog Day, celebrates mutts of all kinds and promotes their welfare and adoption around the world.

Mutt dogs are sometimes overlooked and underappreciated, especially compared to their purebred brethren. Their time from shelter to adoption often takes longer than purebreds since there are simply more mixed-breed dogs available than families willing to adopt them. It is estimated that almost 80% of shelter dogs are mutts.

But make no mistake about it; mutts have just as much love to give. It is famously said that a dog need not be a purebred to be pure of heart.

FAQs about the holiday

Here are the answers to some essential questions related to the “ultimutt” holiday for mutts.

When is National Mutt Day?

National Mutt Day is observed biannually on July 31 and December 2 every year.

National Mutt Day dates for each year

  • 2023
    Monday, July 31, 2023
    Saturday, December 2, 2023
  • 2024
    Wednesday, July 31, 2024
    Monday, December 2, 2024
  • 2025
    Thursday, July 31, 2025
    Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Who founded National Mutt Day?

Colleen Paige founded the holiday in 2005. Paige’s title is Celebrity Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate. She also created National Dog Day, National Puppy Day, and National Cat Day.

What is the meaning of National Mutt Day?

Mutts come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. The goal of National Mutt Day is to celebrate, protect, and promote the adoption of mixed-breed dogs worldwide.

How do I observe National Mutt Day?

Adopt – There are millions of mixed-breed dogs in shelters just waiting for you to provide them with a loving home and family.

Volunteer – If you can’t provide a new forever home for a mutt, consider volunteering some of your time at animal shelters. Any service you can provide will be appreciated, including dog walking, feeding, and playtime.

Donate – Give to your local shelter so they can provide care and feeding for mixed-breed dogs until they find a new home.

Spread the word – Use social media to let others know about the holiday. Use the hashtags below when you post pictures of your favorite mutt.

Give a special treat – Make Mutt Day a special day for your dog by giving them extra love and attention, and maybe an extra treat for being a good boy or girl.

national-mutt-day.

Fun facts about mixed-breed dogs

You can save a dog’s life – Mixed breed dogs are more frequently abandoned and euthanized than purebred or designer dogs. By adopting a mutt, you are saving its life.

A mixed-breed dog is a healthy dog – Mutts generally are more healthy than purebred dogs. The genetic mixing that makes them a mutt helps reduce certain disorders known to be dominant in purebred dogs.

You won’t break the bank on your mutt – Dog breeders charge a pretty penny for purebred puppies. Most mixed-breed mutts can be adopted for far less from your local shelter. And the love, friendship, and loyalty you’ll receive are priceless.

Your mutt won’t likely be a target of thieves – Because they are not prized like purebreds, mixed breeds are not frequently stolen from their owners.

No mutt looks exactly the same – Your mutt will have a unique look depending on what its mix is. So no other dog will look exactly like your dog!

And have a unique personality, too – You never know what kind of personality your mutt will have since it comes from a mix of breeds. It may be loyal like a Lab, smart like a Border Collie, or independent like a Shar-Pei. Or maybe a combination of all three!

Video: How to Adopt a Shelter Mutt

What are some other names for mutts?

Dogs from a genetic mix of two or more breeds are called mutts, mixed breeds, hybrids, crossbreeds, mongrels, and half-breeds.

Famous mixed-breed dogs you may remember

  • Higgins – Dog from the film Benji
  • Laika – Soviet space dog
  • Pluto – Mickey Mouse’s pet dog
  • Bobbie the Wonder Dog – The famous lost dog that walked 3,000 miles to return home
  • Clifford – The Big Red Dog is a Labrador/Vizsla mix
  • Sinbad – “Chief Dog” of the United States Coast Guard
  • Tramp – The dog from the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp
  • Spike – Dog actor from the film Old Yeller
  • Murray – The dog on TV’s Mad About You

National Mutt Day Meme

In praise of mutts meme

Good hashtags

  • #MuttDay
  • #NationalMuttDay
  • #MixedBreedDogDay
  • #NationalMixedBreedDogDay
  • #mutt
  • #muttsofinstagram
  • #rescuedog
  • #adoptdontshop

Mutt quotes

A lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.
Barack Obama

If you can’t decide between a Shepherd, a Setter or a Poodle, get them all … adopt a mutt!
ASPCA

In an interesting inversion of status, the reigning breed in the dog park these days is the really-oddball-unidentifiable-mixed-breed-mutt-found-wandering-the-street or its equivalent. The stranger the mutt, the better; the more peculiar the circumstance of it coming into your life, the better.
Susan Orlean

In every heart, there is a hole. In every shelter, there is love in which to fill it.
Colleen Paige

Mutts are often better to work with. Sometimes, some of the breed dogs get hyper and have lots of health problems. Mutts are just great!
Betty Linn, animal trainer

A lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.
Barack Obama

Good Mutt Quotations

If you can’t decide between a Shepherd, a Setter or a Poodle, get them all … adopt a mutt!
ASPCA

In an interesting inversion of status, the reigning breed in the dog park these days is the really-oddball-unidentifiable-mixed-breed-mutt-found-wandering-the-street or its equivalent. The stranger the mutt the better; the more peculiar the circumstance of it coming into your life, the better.
Susan Orlean

In every heart, there is a hole. In every shelter, there is love in which to fill it.
Colleen Paige

Mutts are often better to work with. Sometimes, some of the breed dogs get hyper and have lots of health problems. Mutts are just great!
Betty Linn, animal trainer

Sayings about mutts

A mutt is couture—it’s the only one like it in the world, made especially for you.
Isaac Mizrahi

Breed a Labrador Retriever with a Curly Coated Retriever, and you get a Lab Coat Retriever. The choice for research scientists.
Good Dog! magazine

By adopting a wonderful mutt, you’ll save a life and help reduce animal homelessness while also boosting your chances of a more robust new furry friend, as mixed-breed dogs have demonstrated better health and longer life spans than their purebred cousins.
Ingrid Newkirk

Hybrid vigor is an important concept in the plant world. You get this from combining the different strengths of different strains. It’s the same with mutts—if you want a dog with hybrid vigor—get a mutt.
Mary Gallagher

I prefer mutts. The artificial construction of the gene pool is bad for the species as a whole. In a restricted gene pool, the defects pile up. The truly superior specimen is the outbred, not the inbred.
Michael Swift

Gratitude: that quality which the Canine Mongrel seldom lacks, which the Human Mongrel seldom possesses!
Lion P.S. Rees

By Julie Kind

Julie writes about pets, family, and crafts.

Etcetera

You’re on the National Mutt Day page.

You might like:

December 3 – World Disability Day

Dec. 6 – Saint Nicholas Day

December 7 – Pearl Harbor Day

National Pastry Day – December 9

December 12 – Gingerbread House Day

Dog and Animal Puns