This is your sign to be a hero by rescuing one!
It’s Superhero Day, and we’re honouring the heroes that exchanged capes for collars. Here’s how to find the future pet love of your life—there’s even an app for it, and it’s much cuter than Tinder.
South Africa (28 April, 2023) — 28 April is Superhero Day! As we know well, superheroes can take many shapes and forms. Yes, they can be Spiderman or Batman, Wonder Woman or any other hero we look up to every time we go to the cinema, but often, they’re a lot closer than the screen.
In reality, they’re taxi drivers, students who inspired others, firefighters who went beyond the call of duty, challenge conquerors, community leaders of peace and kind-hearted people doing their part for others’ dreams.
Many also have four legs, and not because of some comic scientist whose plan went askew.
When it comes down to it, what we really want from a superhero is simple. We want to be heard, to be understood, to be loved unconditionally and to be removed from situations we didn’t really want to be in in the first place. Sounds a lot like the pets in our lives, especially the ones we thought were rescuing, but actually rescued us.
28 April might celebrate all the superheroes in our lives, but often, they’ve exchanged their capes for collars.
“Many pet parents see their pets as superheroes because they provide unconditional love, loyalty, and companionship. Pets can also possess incredible abilities, like detecting danger, providing emotional support, or performing tasks such as guiding the blind or detecting medical issues,” Pet behaviour expert Marycke Ackhurst.
Two awesome initiatives shining a light on this are:
- The 2022 launch of Making CONTACT is a five-part miniseries that highlights the amazing role dogs play in the fight against poaching.
- The Pet Matchmaker app that allows you to match your personal preferences around looks, activity level and personality traits; in the hopes that more heroes (rescue pets) get homes.
Superhero Day is here to remind us that superheroes can come in any shape, size, or colour, and being one is more about having a big heart than having actual superpowers. Although, catching a ball mid-air or unrolling the entire roll of loo paper in one paw movement are superpowers, right?
Fun Fact: It was while helping his wife volunteer at a pet shelter, where the idea for the movie DC League of Super-Pets came to filmmaker Jared Stern. Stern thought to himself as he looked at the hundreds of puppies and kittens, and older pets too, ‘what if they’ve got superpowers?’ He added that, “Our pets, in some ways, are our real-life superheroes.”
Of the pawesome app, Ackhurst shares:
“Through our Give a Hero a Home campaign, we’re encouraging Pet Matchmaker app downloads and registrations. There’s a Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, or Captain Marvel out there for everyone, and with the app’s extensive and fun filters you’re sure to find your very own superhero to suit your lifestyle.”
Still, you can always find or volunteer for your (or someone else’s) next hero via the incredible shelters who work tirelessly to serve the pets of South Africa.
Find them here!
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