Join the celebrations on 26th August as the world celebrates National Dog Day! Founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, National Dog Day isn’t just about being thankful for these loyal and hard-working animals, but also aims to raise awareness about the worldwide demand for dogs that need to be rescued.
In honour of the day,  we’re celebrating just how talented our four-legged friends are. We’ve picked out 7 of the jobs carried out by dogs all over the world to highlight their awesome abilities and show just what they’re capable of.
Warning: seriously cute images coming up…
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One of the most incredible jobs a dog can do is acting as a guide dog to the partially-sighted or blind. Training needs to be started as a puppy, and the phenomenal thing is that a dog can be ready to change someone’s life forever after less than 2 years – how brilliant is that?
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The main purpose of a sheepdog or herding dog is to take the stress of herding sheep away from the farmer. Some breeds of dog are more suited to this kind of work than others, such as border collies or Australian shepherds, and there’s a lot of training to go through before a dog can be introduced to the sheep. These dogs not only have to learn a set of sheepdog-specific commands, but they’re also capable of herding hundreds of livestock at one time!
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You’ll find some of the bravest dogs performing this job. These dogs quite literally risk their own lives to go out and save ours! They are capable of searching huge areas of land using their incredible sense of smell and the techniques they’ve been taught. These include air scenting, tracking and trailing, and can be used to search for missing people in a whole host of scenarios. Just brilliant.
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These guys are generally employed at airports, police stations or even borders, with the specific job of, you guessed it, detecting! They can be trained to find just about anything, from explosives and drugs to currency and even blood. Each dog will be trained to find something specific, so it can really focus on using all of its senses to improve its detection abilities. Watch out detectives, you’ve got competition!
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Found in the arctic regions, these packs of dogs are renowned for their strength, speed, endurance and immense power to work in the icy arctic conditions. These resilient creatures include pure-breeds like Siberian huskies as well as mixed breeds known as Alaskan huskies. In some areas of the world, people depend on sled dogs as their sole method of transport and the only way for them to get the supplies they need to live! Talk about responsibility.
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Trained to perform some of the most dangerous and ultimately life-saving tasks including bomb detection, military dogs are due the utmost respect from us humans. They’ve been used in military practice for many years, developing an immensely strong bond with the military workers they’re paired with. They’re not just renowned for their bravery, either. These dogs are known to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder if they’re allowed home with their partners.
Now, if that’s not enough evidence of the massive importance dogs have in our lives today, this final job is bound to convince you….
7. Being man’s best friend
Dogs were the world’s first domesticated animal and they’ve been making an impact on our lives ever since. They’re loyal, caring, cuddly, affectionate and make the perfect companion for all ages. Need I say more?
Just in case, here are ….
Head over to our to send us your pics of your National Dog Day celebrations! Or, for more adorable pet images, check out our pets category.