National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Set up a literal catwalk and treat your furry friends to some safe, comfortable fashion, organize a fun photo shoot or go all out with matching outfits.
Drive pet apparel and accessory sales by positioning National Dress Up Your Pet Day as a fun, shareable moment for pet owners to showcase creative styling and bond with their animals.
- Before & After: Pet Fashion Transformations—showcase customer pets in your brand's outfits
- DIY Pet Costume Safety Guide—position your brand as the trusted expert in pet wellbeing
- User-Generated Photo Contest—incentivize pet owners to share photos using your products with branded hashtags
- Matching Owner-Pet Outfit Collections—capitalize on the bonding angle with coordinated fashion lines
Notable campaigns5
- Amazon (2010s–2020s): Puppy costume ad: A sad puppy is cheered up when its owner orders a lion costume via Prime, transforming it into the leader of the pack—heartwarming brand storytelling tied to pet dressing.
- BarkBox (2010s–present): Turned dog ownership into a lifestyle subscription with cheeky, dog-lover-insider social content and meme-ready posts like 'my dog is my therapist'; created community feeling around fun pet stuff.
- Chewy (2010s–present): Built brand loyalty through exceptional customer service touchpoints like flowers to bereaved pet parents and hand-painted pet portraits as thank-you gifts—going viral for humanity, not just products.
- Pedigree (2000s–present): 'Adopt, Don't Shop' campaign promoted pet adoption over purchasing, raising awareness about homeless pets and building values-based brand identity.
- Purina (2014+): 'Dear Kitten' series (with BuzzFeed): Adorable short films where a wise older cat gives sardonic advice to a new kitten—subtle branding, cinematic quality, high shareability.
Campaign ideas8
- Host a virtual pet costume contest with user-generated photos: encourage followers to submit pics using #DressUpYourPetDay for prizes (gift cards, pet treats, accessories)
- Launch a limited-edition costume collection or capsule line for dogs/cats with seasonal/trendy themes; create urgency with Jan 14 deadline
- Offer '20% off pet costumes & accessories' promotion with code DRESSEDUPPETS; email blast to subscribers + paid social push
- Partner with 2-3 local pet shelters to offer adoption event Jan 14; highlight adoptable pets 'dressed to impress' with matching outfits on social
- Create a 'Pet of the Day' or 'Best Dressed' Instagram/TikTok series leading up to Jan 14; feature customer submissions with shoutouts
- Run an in-store photo booth event: customers bring dressed-up pets, get professional photos printed same-day with branded frame
- Develop a "Matching Outfits" campaign: encourage pet parents to post photos in coordinating costumes with their pets; highest-liked wins prize
- Collaborate with 2-3 pet micro-influencers; send them exclusive costumes to style/review for their audience (Instagram Reels, TikTok)
Social angles6
- Your pet deserves the spotlight! Share their best dressed moment with #DressUpYourPetDay & tag us for a chance to be featured 🐶👗
- 'Tis the season for fashion—pet fashion! Show us your pet's inner fashionista. We're giving away $100 in treats to the cutest costume. #DressUpYourPetDay
- From tiny tuxedos to fabulous tutus—how is YOUR pet getting dressed up for Jan 14? Comment below! 💕 #DressUpYourPetDay #PetFashion
- Not all superheroes wear capes… some wear cute dog sweaters. Is your pup dressed for adventure? #DressUpYourPetDay #PetCostume
- Double the cuteness: match your pet! Show us your &partner-in-crime costume combo. Retweet your fave for inspiration 🐱👗 #DressUpYourPetDay
- New Year, new wardrobe! Get your pet ready to slay with our Jan 14 exclusives—link in bio. #DressUpYourPetDay #PetFashion #ShopNow
Ad copy starters5
“This January 14, your pet deserves the red carpet. Shop costumes now.”
“Dress for the Occasion: 20% Off Pet Costumes & Accessories on Dress Up Your Pet Day.”
“Your pet is a star. Prove it. Limited-edition costumes, Jan 14 only.”
“From Haute Couture to Casual Cool—Find the Perfect Outfit for Your Four-Legged Friend.”
“Every Pet is a Fashion Icon. Make Them One. Exclusive Dress Up Day Collection—Now Live.”
Tips4
- Do: Lead with user-generated content and customer spotlights—pet owners LOVE seeing their pets featured. Incentivize submissions with prizes or retweets.
- Don't: Push costumes that restrict movement, limit vision, or aren't clearly marked as safe/comfortable. Always emphasize pet welfare in messaging.
- Do: Tie in adoption/shelter partnerships. Dress Up Your Pet Day is emotional—leverage it for charitable tie-ins to feel-good storytelling & brand values.
- Don't: Launch discount-only campaigns. Layer in exclusive drops, limited editions, or access to new products—scarcity + fashion drives higher AOV than discounts alone.
This pawesome celebration of pet fashion was established by Colleen Paige back in 2009. A pet lifestyle expert by trade (and, yes, that’s an actual career), Colleen launched National Dress Up Your Pet Day to encourage pets and their owners to spend time together, to dress up in impossibly cool and cute outfits, and to join forces with other animal enthusiasts in the local area or online.
As well as enjoying the opportunity to showcase creative talents, National Dress Up Your Pet Day can also be a social occasion. Hundreds, even thousands, of pet lovers will join together to celebrate their best buddies and also to meet new friends along the way.
It is important to note that National Dress Up Your Pet Day was started to promote wellbeing and encourage bonding between pets and their owners.
While some dogs are happy to don a snazzy jumper or a winter coat, not every creature will be content to trot around the park in a tutu or go for a walk dressed as Yoda or Captain Hook. But for those easygoing pets who don’t mind, this is a great day to bond with them!
Join a National Dress Up Your Pet Day Meetup
For those owners who have a pet that likes to strut their stuff, why not meet up with other owners for a party in the park or organize a get-together with friends and their four-legged sidekicks at home? This is a great opportunity to exercise those artistic talents and make your own outfits, or browse the many online pet clothing stores to ensure your pet looks like the bee’s knees.
Practice Pet Safety and Kindness
It is important to remember that pet costumes should be safe, they should be comfortable, and owners should never force an animal into an outfit if they refuse. Some models are much more willing than others, so take care to read each pet’s particular reactions and then proceed accordingly. For safety reasons, be sure to double-check every outfit for loose attachments that could cause a choking hazard (for example, buttons), and make sure there’s no risk of a pet overheating, struggling to breathe or having a hard time moving.
Have a National Dress Up Your Pet Day Photo Shoot
For those owners whose pets aren’t so keen on being social with other animals, this would be a fun day to stage a photoshoot with a pet. Dress them up in their costumes, create some “scenery” in the house or the backyard, and let the hilarity ensue! Animals can do the darndest things, and catching them in pictures or video can be a whole lot of fun. Don’t forget to share those hilarious photos online or with pet-loving friends to let them know about National Dress Up Your Pet Day as well.
Get Matching Outfits with Your Pet
One of the funniest ways to get on board with this day is to arrange to have matching outfits or “couple costumes” with a pet. Try out these ideas for making the most of National Dress Up Your Pet Day: Dynamic Duo. In this case, the human can dress up as Batman and the cat or dog would make a great Robin. This can be easy with the use of a tiny little cape and perhaps a mask. The caped crusaders will be at it again!Flower and Bumblebee. Into gardening? Then this is the perfect costume! The owner can dress up as a flower, wearing green for the stem and a colorful hat filled with “petals”. Then a pet (or many pets) can be dressed in a little bumblebee costume, donning yellow and black stripes with little wings, and possibly a hat that contains antennae. S’mores Family. Two owners and one pet makes a perfect combination for a girl scout’s favorite snack! Dress up one human as a graham cracker (using a cardboard box), then another human can be a Hershey’s chocolate bar. The pet makes the perfect marshmallow, simply by wrapping a puffy white pillow or blanket around their middle. Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two. One owner with two matching dogs? This is the perfect opportunity to channel that inner Dr. Seuss character from the children’s book, The Cat in the Hat. The human just needs a very tall, striped hat (white makeup with whiskers is optional). The two dogs or cats can wear little red t-shirts stating “Thing 1” and “Thing 2”.