Social Petworking Month – June 1, 2026

Social Petworking Month
Categories:
Tags:
CatDogPetPet Health
Where:
United States
Date change rule:
Every June
Holiday emoji:
🐾

Social Petworking Month dedicates the entire month of June to leveraging social media for a vital cause: helping pets find permanent homes. Use your online presence to share adoptable animals, assist rescue organizations, and urge your network to get involved. Make a lasting difference in a pet’s life this month!

Want to sponsor Social Petworking Month? Learn how

Expected Social Petworking Month Deals

Throughout Social Petworking Month, the focus shifts from commercial deals to impactful fundraising and awareness campaigns. Organizations like the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society often partner with corporate sponsors for donation-matching programs, encouraging contributions that directly support shelter operations and adoption efforts. Pet supply retailers such as Chewy and PetSmart Charities may run special initiatives, offering discounts on adoption kits or donating a portion of sales to animal welfare groups. Look for opportunities to round up your purchase at checkout or participate in virtual adoption events promoted by local shelters. We will update this page with confirmed live campaigns as June approaches, directing you to verifiable ways to support pets in need.

Platform Guide for Social Petworking Month

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #SocialPetworkingMonth. Share heartwarming photos and videos of adoptable pets, focusing on their unique personalities to attract potential adopters.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #SocialPetworkingMonth. Join local pet adoption groups and share posts from shelters, helping to broaden their reach within your community.

X/Twitter

Mention @NatlToday and use #SocialPetworkingMonth. Retweet urgent adoption calls from shelters and share news about successful adoptions to inspire others.

Social Media Tips for Social Petworking Month

Individuals

Commit to sharing at least one adoptable pet's profile from a local shelter each day in June. A simple share can connect a pet with their future family.

Creators

Produce a series of short videos or photo essays highlighting the journey of a rescued animal or showcasing the daily life of shelter volunteers. Use compelling storytelling to drive adoption interest.

Brands

Launch a 'share-to-donate' campaign where for every share of a specific post, your brand donates to a featured animal rescue. This leverages your audience for a good cause.

Organizations & Brands for Social Petworking Month

  1. ASPCA

    Founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh in New York City, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society in North America. It works to prevent cruelty to animals throughout the United States.

  2. Petfinder

    Launched in 1996, Petfinder is an online, searchable database of animals who need homes. It connects potential adopters with over 11,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

  3. Chewy

    Founded in 2011, Chewy is an online retailer of pet food and other pet-related products. The company frequently partners with animal welfare organizations for donation drives and adoption events, supporting pets in need.

  4. PetSmart Charities

    Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities is a leading funder of animal welfare in North America. It facilitates pet adoptions, provides grants to animal welfare organizations, and supports programs to save the lives of homeless pets.

  5. Best Friends Animal Society

    Founded in 1984, Best Friends Animal Society is a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of cats and dogs in America's shelters. They operate the nation's largest sanctuary for homeless animals.

  6. Purina

    With a history dating back to 1894, Purina is a global leader in pet food. The company actively supports pet adoption initiatives and partners with shelters and rescue groups to provide nutrition for pets awaiting their forever homes.

  7. Humane Society of the United States

    The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), founded in 1954, is the nation's largest animal protection organization. It works to protect all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, and public education.

Social Petworking Month Hero

Henry Bergh

Henry Bergh (1813–1887) was an American diplomat and philanthropist who founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in 1866. His tireless advocacy for animal rights led to the first animal protection laws in the United States and inspired the humane movement nationwide, laying the groundwork for organizations that continue to help pets today.

History of Social Petworking Month

Social Petworking Month is a month-long celebration of using social media to assist homeless pets to find loving homes. By sharing photographs and information about these pets with your network, you can help spread the word that they are searching for a loving home. Follow an animal shelter, rescue and adoption organizations, and institutions on social media. You can also follow the authors of adoption literature. Simply following such people and organizations will help us be more aware of the incredible work that these organizations do.

Share, repost, retweet, pin, and regram from adoption and rescue organizations’ social media accounts and pages. By letting our networks know about our furry pals, more opportunities are provided for them to find permanent homes. If just one person in our network agrees to share the message, the odds skyrocket.

Not everyone knows how to get involved and aid animal shelters in person, and social media is a terrific way to point people in the right direction. You can share resources such as articles on how to volunteer at a shelter or connections to local shelters if they have special qualifications and needs. Most shelters would welcome the extra help, and this is an excellent month to match new volunteers with groups in need.

Social Petworking Month timeline

3300 B.C.
The Introduction of Leashes and Collars

Sumerians invent leashes and collars for dogs.

1920
The Monarch Gets Bit by Monkey

King Alexander, of Greece, had his pet monkey bit by a dog and when he attempted to break up the fight, the monarch was attacked by another monkey which also bit him.

1957
The First Animal to Orbit Earth

Laika the dog, became the first mammal to orbit Earth on the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957, clearing the door for human spaceflight.

1960
The Use of Dogs as Therapists

Although the concept of a service dog had been around for centuries, researchers began experimenting in the 1960s with canines serving people as a type of living therapy rather than as guides or assistants.

Social Petworking Month FAQs

When is Social Petworking Month?

Social Petworking Month runs throughout June 2026, dedicating the entire month to using social media to help shelter pets find loving homes. It’s a full 30 days of digital advocacy for animal welfare.

How many pets are adopted each year?

According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted each year in the U.S., including 1.6 million dogs and 1.6 million cats. Social Petworking Month aims to increase these numbers.

How many pets need homes?

Each year, approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide. Of these, about 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats, all awaiting their forever families.

What is 'petworking'?

Petworking is a portmanteau of ‘pet’ and ‘networking,’ referring to the act of using social media and online platforms to connect adoptable animals with potential owners. It leverages digital reach to facilitate adoptions.

Social Petworking Month Activities

  1. Promote shelters and rescues

    If you don't have time to organize an event yourself, you can always assist rescues and shelters in publicizing and promoting their activities. Because non-profit organizations rarely have large advertising budgets, they rely on word-of-mouth marketing, with which social media can help.

  2. Fight abuse against animals

    People abuse, dump, hoard, or overbreed animals, and that is one of the reasons why there are so many animals in shelters. We can battle household breeders, puppy mills, and dog fighting rings by raising awareness. These practices cause enormous misery for dogs and result in crowded shelters when authorities and rescues take these animals in.

  3. Share your or someone else's story

    You have the opportunity to set an example for others so that they can learn about and appreciate the benefits of having dogs in their lives. Share your personal story of an animal you adopted on social media. Make a photo album. It may motivate someone to adopt, foster, volunteer, or contribute, which would be extremely beneficial to pets in shelters.

5 Interesting Facts About Pets On Social Media

  1. They have active social pages

    Almost one-quarter of all dogs and cats get their own Facebook profile or social media feed.

  2. Dog selfies are part of the content

    Every year, dog owners take 527 selfies and photos of their pets.

  3. Cat selfies are also used widely

    During the same time, cat lovers take 482 photos and selfies of their fur babies.

  4. Cat owners keep their pets’ status updated

    Two-fifths of cat owners often update their animals' statuses on social media.

  5. Most dog owners post about their pet

    Nearly half of all dog owners (around 45%) often post information about their pets on social media.

Why We Love Social Petworking Month

  1. It's an opportunity to help pets find homes

    Simply search for available pets on national pet adoption websites or the sites of local shelters, humane organizations, and rescue groups during June. All you should do is click on various pets and share information about them on social media platforms.

  2. It's a way of advocacy for animals

    Adding comments or making a post about the advantages of adopting a pet rather than buying one from a breeder informs others who may not have known otherwise. You can also dispel myths regarding adopting pets from shelters or rescue organizations.

  3. It's a modern way of the adoption process

    Pet sharing applications are a part of networking for cats and dogs. These apps and websites bring together groups of pet lovers who give a secure and loving place of refuge for a dog or cat whose owner requires assistance.

Year Date Day
2026 June 1 Monday
2027 June 1 Tuesday
2028 June 1 Thursday
2029 June 1 Friday
2030 June 1 Saturday