A shelter dog’s existence may be lonely. Undoubtedly exhausting, waiting around each day for someone to see you and take you home is something that one shelter is attempting to minimize. The Kitsap Humane Society in Washington started the Puppuccino Pals initiative in April. Volunteer Molly Clark takes a dog from the shelter to the neighborhood Starbucks every Tuesday to enjoy a tasty Puppuccino. (It is a little cup of whipped cream that is on the chain’s “hidden menu”)
In addition to getting a vacation from the shelter and enjoying a ride and a treat, Starbucks advertises the dog of the week in the hopes that people may choose to adopt him. Clark has been taking canines out for Puppuccinos to give them a respite from shelter life even though the program wasn’t formally launched until April.
According to Kimberly Cizek Allen, events and outreach assistant coordinator at the Kitsap Humane Society, “the dogs LOVE the shelter breaks and they like the Puppuccinos.” As they suck the whipped cream off the cup, you can see it in their small eyes. The shelter makes sure that dogs receive their reward and exposure even if they might not be a suitable fit for a Puppuccino outing.
“Molly will take another dog on an outing and return a Puppuccino,” Allen said. “Should a dog not be suitable for an outing due to some form of limitation.” In that manner, the Puppuccino Pals dog can still appear in our program while playing outside or relaxing in a quiet room, as suitable.
To give each Puppuccino Pal dog a little extra attention, the shelter also highlights them on its Instagram account. The Puppuccino Pals initiative is a fantastic way to bring shelter puppies out into the community and to raise awareness of the hundreds of amazing pups still waiting for their forever homes every day as people enjoy their morning coffee.
Adopt-a-Pet.com is a good place to start if you want to adopt a dog of your own.