Morris Animal Foundation, a leader in advancing animal health, kicks off its annual National Dog Day campaign to raise funds for canine health research.

As part of their mission to help dogs everywhere have healthier lives, Morris Animal Foundation is proud to announce the launch of their fourth annual National Dog Day campaign. National Dog Day is celebrated on August 26 but, thanks to the generosity of a dog-loving donor, all funds donated to this campaign through the end of August will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $50,000, to support canine health.

“While many of us dog lovers think every day should be National Dog Day, we’re focusing our fundraising efforts for a full month to give dogs the longest, healthiest lives we can,” says Tiffany Grunert, Morris Animal Foundation President and CEO. “Dogs enrich our lives so much and they deserve the best care we can provide. We hope dog lovers everywhere will support us.”

During the campaign, Morris Animal Foundation will share stories from its dog-loving donors and tips on how to keep dogs happy and healthy.

Since 1948, Morris Animal Foundation has invested $155 million to fund more than 1,000 studies that have tackled major canine health threats such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis and infectious diseases. Below are just a few active studies where researchers are:

• Designing a vaccine for heartworm, a deadly parasitic infection
• Investigating cancers and exposure to environmental chemicals
• Developing a rapid bedside test to quickly assess the severity of neural injuries to better inform treatment decisions
• Evaluating an imaging technique to help diagnose the spread of cancer to lymph nodes in malignant head and neck tumors

The Foundation also runs the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study — one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive prospective canine health investigations ever conducted. Now beginning its ninth year, the Study aims to identify nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors for cancer and other canine diseases by following the lives of more than 3,000 golden retrievers around the country.

To participate in the National Dog Day campaign, visit morrisanimalfoundation.org.