Do dogs know it's their birthday?

While dogs don't understand the concept of birthdays, they absolutely pick up on the extra excitement, attention, and treats. Dogs are highly attuned to their owner's emotions, so when you're celebrating, they feel the joy too. A birthday celebration is a wonderful way to bond with your pup and show them extra love.

How do I find out my dog's birthday?

If you adopted your dog, check adoption papers or ask the shelter for an estimated birth date. If the exact date is unknown, many pet owners celebrate their dog's 'gotcha day' (adoption anniversary) instead. You can also ask your vet for an age estimate based on teeth and physical development to pick an approximate birthday.

Dog News Roundup: What Happened This Week (May 19, 2026)

May 18, 2026

Dog News Roundup: What Happened This Week

Four stories this week. A holiday you should know about, a huge update on those rescued beagles, a new law that just changed the game in Colorado, and the Westminster Dog Show is going somewhere you didn't expect.

Tomorrow Is National Rescue Dog Day

National Rescue Dog Day is May 20th and if you've ever adopted a dog or even thought about it, this one's for you. The day was started in 2018 by Tails That Teach, a nonprofit that helps kids learn how to care for animals. The idea is simple: spend a few minutes thinking about the millions of dogs sitting in shelters right now and do one thing about it.

Adopt. Foster. Volunteer. Donate. Share a post. Spay or neuter your dog. Pick one.

About 3.3 million dogs enter shelters in the US every year. A lot of them are incredible dogs who just ended up in the wrong situation. If you're not in a position to adopt right now, even sharing a post from your local rescue or donating a bag of food makes a difference. And if you are in a position to adopt, well, keep reading because we've got a dog in this newsletter who's been waiting over 500 days.

Sources:

National Day Calendar: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/national-rescue-dog-day-may-20
National Today: https://nationaltoday.com/national-rescue-dog-day/

Beagle Rescue Update: 1,000 Dogs Are Out of Ridglan Farms

If you read our last roundup, you know about the 1,500 beagles being rescued from Ridglan Farms, a research breeding facility in rural Wisconsin. Here's the update: Big Dog Ranch Rescue has now completed the removal of all 1,000 dogs it purchased from the facility. They're done. Those dogs are out.

Hundreds of them are already in foster homes and rescue partners across the country. Some have made it as far as the Bay Area, where a busload of beagles arrived to cheering crowds at a rescue center in San Francisco. The remaining 500 dogs purchased by other organizations are still being coordinated through Wisconsin-based rescues.

The dogs are experiencing things many of them have never had before. Walking on grass. Drinking from a bowl. Sleeping on something soft. Rescue workers say some are curious and playful right away, others are terrified and need weeks or months to decompress. If you're thinking about fostering or adopting one, know that these dogs need patience and quiet. They'll get there.

As part of a legal settlement, Ridglan Farms has agreed to surrender its breeding license by July 1, 2026. The facility is finalizing arrangements for any remaining dogs.

Sources:

FOX6 Milwaukee: https://www.fox6now.com/news/ridglan-farms-beagles-dogs-remain-facility-051526
Wisconsin Public Radio: https://www.wpr.org/news/welfare-organizations-complete-transfer-of-hundreds-of-ridglan-farms-beagles
ABC7 San Francisco: https://abc7news.com/post/ridglan-farms-beagles-busload-rescued-dogs-arrive-bay-area-wisconsin-research-laboratory/19078953/
WTMJ: https://wtmj.com/news/2026/05/07/big-dog-ranch-rescue-completes-ridglan-beagle-removal/

Colorado Just Banned Puppy Mill Sales

Governor Polis signed the "Pistol the Pomeranian Protection Act" into law, and starting next year pet stores in Colorado will no longer be able to sell dogs or cats. The law bans pet stores from selling, leasing, bartering, auctioning, or otherwise transferring ownership of dogs and cats, which effectively cuts off the retail pipeline that keeps puppy mills profitable.

The bill is named after House Majority Leader Monica Duran's dog Pistol, a Pomeranian who came from a puppy mill and later died. Duran spent eight years pushing this legislation through the state capitol.

Colorado joins California, New York, Illinois, and a growing list of states that have passed similar bans. Not everyone is happy about it. The Rocky Mountain Pet Dealers Association and a few kennel clubs opposed the bill, arguing it could push puppy sales underground. But the ASPCA called it a major win, and the data from states that have already passed these laws shows that reputable breeders (who don't sell through pet stores anyway) are completely unaffected.

If you want a dog in Colorado, you can still buy from a breeder directly or adopt from a shelter or rescue. The only thing that changes is that the pet store middleman, the one connected to commercial breeding operations, is out of the picture.

Sources:

Westminster Dog Show Is Moving to Netflix

This one's fun. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which has been on Fox Sports for the last 10 years, is moving to Netflix starting with the 151st edition in February 2027. The evening judging at Madison Square Garden will stream live on Netflix, and daytime breed competitions at the Javits Center will stream on Tudum.com and the Westminster website.

The show features over 3,000 champion dogs representing 200 breeds from around the world. If you watched this year's 150th show, you saw Penny the Doberman take Best in Show with what judges described as a textbook example of the breed standard.

Netflix has been expanding aggressively into live events (they already have WWE and NFL games), and apparently a dog show with 3,000 contestants and millions of viewers fit the strategy. Whether you're a dog show person or not, having Westminster on a platform where basically everyone already has an account means way more people are going to see it. And honestly, if you've never watched Westminster, it's weirdly addictive. You'll have opinions about the sporting group within 10 minutes.

Sources: