Pets Day
| Pets Day | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observed by | Empire of Austenasia |
| Type | National holiday |
| Significance | Date assigned for remembrance of dead pets; also used for shows of affection to living pets. |
| Date | 17 May |
Pets Day is an official day of commemoration in the Empire of Austenasia, observed on 17 May, primarily for the remembrance of deceased pets and annual repairs to the country's two pet cemeteries.
Pets Day was established by Act 98 on 19 September 2009, which mandated that every 17 August, necessary repairs would be made to Wrythe Pet Cemetery before a remembrance ceremony would be led by the Representative of Wrythe. On 1 March 2010, Act 114 brought forward the date of Pets Day to 17 May, at which it has remained ever since, and also explicitly designated the day as a public holiday. The implementation of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 meant that Pets Day was not de jure an authorized public holiday in 2012 and 2013, as the legislation establishing it had been repealed; nevertheless, it continued to be observed, and indeed referenced in legislation, as on 26 April 2012 by the Monuments of Wrythe Act 2012.
On 14 January 2014, the Public Holidays Act 2014 re-established Pets Day as a fully recognized day of commemoration, clarifying that although not a public holiday per se due to properly being a day of commemoration rather than celebration, also "encouraging expressions of appreciation and affection to the pets of the Empire’s population." The requirement for there to be a full-blown "ceremony" at Wrythe Pet Cemetery was removed, but Wrythe Town Council was directed to continue to ensure that the cemetery continued to be repaired and decorated with flowers each Pets Day. This has happened every year since the first Pets Day in 2010, with the exception of 2017, when heavy rain forced the repairs to be postponed by two days.
Upon the designation of Palasia Pet Cemetery as a national monument on 10 November 2020, Pets Day became the occasion for this cemetery to likewise undergo annual maintenance and repairs.
Pets Day is also used as an opportunity to give living pets shows gestures of affection, with families buying their pets treats etc.