Thursday is National Puppy Day

(CNN) -- Thursday is National Puppy Day. The day was founded to bring awareness to the number of puppies needing homes and the horrors of puppy mills.

The day was founded in 2006 by Colleen Page, a celebrity pet and home lifestyle expert.

She also founded National Cat Day.

These are just a few of the local shelters where puppies (and cats and rabbits and other small animals) are up for adoption:

Humane Society of St. Joseph County (Indiana)
Humane Society of Elkhart County
Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County
Marshall County Humane Society
La Porte County Animal Shelter
St. Joseph County Michigan Animal Control
Berrien County Animal Control
Cass County Michigan Animal Control