Adorable puppies steal the show at Vancouver pop-up dog café (PHOTOS)

Aug 6 2016, 2:49 am

Dog lovers lined up around the block to get a chance to cuddle some pups at a pop-up dog café in downtown Vancouver on Friday afternoon.

And the pooches didn’t disappoint.

The Pups and Cups Dog Café was a joint effort by the BC SPCA and TAXI advertising agency to bring attention to some adoptable dogs, not unlike the concept of the Catfé cat café in Tinseltown Mall.

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Nobody could have predicted the kind of response the pop-up puppy café received, however.

“I have to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect,” SPCA Abbotsford branch manager Jodi Dunlop tells Daily Hive. “When I pulled up with the van with the dogs that we brought from our particular branch, I was shocked to see the lineup around the block and then going down the other block.”

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

A total of eight dogs were on site doing rotating shifts to avoid being overwhelmed. Ideally, says Dunlop, every dog will get adopted by the end of the day.

And with faces like these, they likely won’t have a problem.

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

But it’s not just about finding homes for the dogs.

“Today, too, is about stress relief for the public,” says Dunlop. “We have a lot of people in the corporate world that are coming down to just donate and pet a dog and relieve some of their stress.”

Some of the dogs, such as an 11-week-old puppy named Burger, will likely have 200 to 300 applicants by days end, Dunlop suspects. In fact, all of the dogs at the café are what Dunlop refers to as “highly adoptable,” noting that they have dogs who need extra attention – and lots of love – up for adoption at their other branches.

The canine companions came from a number of different branches across BC, including Vancouver, West Vancouver, Quesnel, Burnaby, and Abbotsford.

At the end of the day, the calming effect dogs can have on humans is undeniable.

“Animals aren’t like people. There’s never any judgement and they love you for who you are and what you are. They’re just relaxing,” says Dunlop.

“I have three dogs, and when I’m having a bad day, I’ll just go sit down and they all curl up on my lap and lick me. It’s just relaxing.”

And, of course, there were volunteer baristas on-hand to make delicious beverages as well.

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

Lauren Sundstrom / Daily Hive

To find adoptable animals at a branch near you, check out the BC SPCA’s website.

Lauren SundstromLauren Sundstrom

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