With all that’s going on in the world, we could use a day of distraction. And what better way to get our minds off of everything going on than with National Dog Day? National Dog Day was established in 2004 and the day was chosen to celebrate the adoption of founder Colleen Paige’s pup. Ever since, it’s been a great opportunity for rescue organizations around the country to spread the word about adopt don’t shop.

While I understand the appeal of getting a brand new puppy from a breeder or a pet store, there are millions of dogs in shelters who need homes. And these pups are just as cute and loving as any dog that costs thousands of dollars. I can still remember the day my family adopted our dog, Oliver, just over 14 years ago.

We found him through an ad in the free section of our local paper and drove two hours to meet our new Beagle, Schnauzer, Poodle mix. That’s right, somehow those three breeds came together to make a short haired, medium sized dog with a curly tail. When we met our pup, he was the smallest of the bunch and his litter was being kept in a chicken coup outside. I’ll always remember his former owners, as they had a shower in their backyard and live turkeys in the house. He won us over with his cuteness and not even 30 seconds into being in the car, he barfed everywhere. Lucky for him, we decided not to return him, and for the last decade and a half, he’s been quite the companion. Although he’s faced more challenges than any pup should have to, such as a broken foot from jumping out of a moving car to a lifelong battle with epilepsy to several strokes in later years, he’s quite the trooper. Seriously, I thought it was cats who had nine lives?

In honor of all the heckin’ good boys and girls out there, take a look at some of our favorite dog tattoos from talented artists around the world. Then let us know how you’ll be celebrating National Dog Day in the comments section on social media.