For many, Uber is the go to app for a quick ride to the ballgame or the bar. But Thursday, drivers spent the day delivering curbside cuddles.
Pittsburghers were offered $30 for a 15-minute visit from Western Pennsylvania Humane Society puppies between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Golden retriever mix Boudin and lab mix Betty gave snuggly sneak peaks early Thursday outside the City-County Building.
“They’re, like, so soft and squishy and cuddly,” Ashley Robinson, city clerk secretary, said cuddling Boudin. “I feel like I’m a little kid now.”
Humane Society Communications Manager Caitlin Lasky said the two puppies were saved from a shelter in Louisiana.
“They were going to be euthanized because of the overpopulation problem in the South; it’s very bad,” Lasky said. “So we transported them to save them.”
After the event, Lasky said Betty was adopted, in addition to a beagle mix named Gracie. There's currently a waitlist of about 15 people in line to adopt the other six puppies who toured the city. Lasky also said Uber drivers made 42 stops this afternoon, bringing in around $1,500 in donations to the Humane Society.
And for those who missed out on the opportunity for a puppy delivery, shelter director Mary Withrow said the organization is always looking for foster parents and volunteers to help look after the animals.
“Fostering is really, really important,” Withrow said. “And it’s one of the best ways that you can save lives, honestly. Because the shelters just get too full sometimes, especially with kittens.”
Lasky said the Humane Society is hoping the repeat the event, possibly with a kitten delivery service.
Uber paired with the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Philadelphia for a similar event the same day.
