For one hour, Lethbridge businesses can book a visit from some of the Prairie Pets puppies, which is said to be time that will benefit both the pups and humans.
Natalie Kent is one of the volunteers who runs and brings the dogs to the puppy cuddle sessions; she explains that taking the puppies out into the community helps socialize them so when they are ready for adoption, they aren’t overly fazed by things such as new people or car rides.
“We see really happy outgoing puppies that have already been on tons of car rides, and been in kennels, for those car rides and meeting all sorts of new people every single day.”
Prairie Pets asks for a $5 donation per person taking part in the puppy cuddle, with some businesses even donating beforehand for their employees; these donations help the non-profit purchase the food needed to feed the pups. Kent says the price of good quality puppy food can add up when you feed 19 puppies, and just recently, another one of the Prairie Pets foster dogs gave birth to a litter of five, bumping the total number of puppies in the organization to 24.
“That is a huge break for us to be able to have that money because we don’t always get good quality puppy food donated, in excess. Right now, we need the excess because we are feeding 19 of these puppies.”
Along with helping feed the puppies and socialize them so they are ready for adoption, the visits are also a positive for the people taking part, Kent says. She explains when they go to a business, most people can’t help but smile when they see the dogs.
“A lot of times they will turn their phones over to an answering service for the hour visit, and so they will kind of laugh at how many phone calls are coming in as they get to sit on the floor and cuddle puppies,” Kent says. “They are taking pictures of each other, and they are getting their significant other on Facetime to show them; it is just kind of a really joyful happy hour of their day, or maybe of that whole month, depending on what kind of business it is.”
Kent says right now, they are getting a request for around one visit a day. More information about the puppy cuddle sessions can be found on the Prairie Pets Facebook page.
