World Animal Day on 4 October, and a book about your own animal
World Animal Day is on 4 October every year. Schools, shelters and animal charities use it to draw attention to animals. For a pet owner it is also a day to look at their own animal.
Where the day comes from
The German cynologist Heinrich Zimmermann, editor of the magazine Mensch und Hund, held the first World Animal Day in Berlin in 1925. It moved to 4 October in 1929, and an international animal protection congress in Florence adopted it in 1931.
4 October is the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
How it is marked
- In the UK, schools use it for lessons about animals, and animal charities run campaigns.
- In the Netherlands and Belgium it is called Dierendag. Some primary schools mark it, and pet shops run offers.
- In Germany it is called Welttierschutztag. Shelters hold open days, and some hold services with a blessing for animals.
Something for your pet, or about your pet
A treat is gone in a minute, and that is fine. A book about your pet stays: 28 pages about how their day starts, what they are afraid of and who else loves them. You make it from one photo and seven answers.
For someone else, on 4 October
The gift costs €36.99: the digital book and the hardcover with shipping. We email it at eight in the morning on 4 October, or on another day you choose. The owner makes the book about their own animal and sees no price.
Or support animals without a home
Shelters and rescues use the day to ask for support, so a donation is another way to mark it.
For every kind of pet
World Animal Day is about all animals, and the book works for any pet. Pluis is a dwarf hamster who jumps into the air when the alarm goes off at eight. Bommel was a rabbit who thumped a back foot at seven every morning until someone opened the door. Both are examples, not customers.
Questions
When is World Animal Day?
On 4 October, every year.
Is World Animal Day the same as Dierendag?
Yes. Dierendag is the Dutch name, Welttierschutztag the German one.
Does the book work for a hamster, a rabbit or a bird?
Yes. Choose other and type the kind of animal.
Can the book be ready on 4 October?
The digital book is ready about ten minutes after payment. The gift email arrives at eight in the morning on the day you choose. A hardcover usually arrives about two weeks after it is ordered, and in any case within thirty days.
Make a book about your own animal.
Make one for your petDigital book €6.99, hardcover €29.99 on top, shipping included. You pay after the questions.