Today, March 23, is National Puppy Day.
I know, I know: It seems like every other day is national something day. But the origins of puppy day actually have some merit — as well as a little bark and bite.
There's a National Puppy Day website that explains this all in detail. In short: The day was created by a real person, not just a Twitter hashtag.
Colleen Paige, author and dog behaviorist, started the day in 2006 to help orphaned puppies find homes and educate the public on "the horror of puppy mills," the website says.
Puppy mills are typically characterized as ill-fit and overcrowded facilities that over-breed dogs so they can supply puppies to pet stores.
So, National Puppy Day is intended to encourage puppy-seekers to head to a local shelter, rather than a store that may be using a puppy mill to fill its displays.
As of Thursday morning, SPCA Tampa Bay's Largo shelter had 14 puppies available for adoption. Most were about 2 months old and cost $200.
The shelter's adoption team meets with any dog seekers to decide which type of dog or puppy might be the best fit for them. The team suggests all members of a family come to meet the dogs and select one to take home.
The shelter, located at 9099 130th Ave N. in Largo, is open to the public from 1 p.m to 7 p.m.
And, in case you were wondering, Paige is also the person behind National Dog Day (Aug. 26) and National Cat Day (Oct. 29).
Contact Sara DiNatale at sdinatale@tampabay.com. Follow @sara_dinatale.