Now that exams are a mere month away, an increase on coursework and overall stress is all but guaranteed. However, this upcoming event seeks to let students spend an afternoon relaxing with one of the best methods of de-stressing: puppies.
Puppy Palooza, as the name suggests, is an event where students have the opportunity to play with puppies for an afternoon. Hosted by the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, in collaboration with the Pawfect Match Rescue, the event has been a common occurrence at NC State for several years and is held once each semester.
“Pawfect Match Rescue will bring out some puppies and they’ll be out under the tent,” said Sam Stafford, a third-year studying aerospace engineering and the group’s corresponding secretary. “So you’ll come up, pay for a ticket, then once you have a ticket you can go in and play with the puppies. We’ll also be accepting donations for the shelter as well. When we give the shelter the money we earn from the event, they’re able to provide more space for puppies that they normally wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. So since they’re able to keep them there longer, they’re more likely to get adopted.”
Many members of Phi Gamma Delta are dog lovers themselves, including Ryan Kissinger, a third-year studying psychology and biological sciences, and the group’s current philanthropy chair.
“I myself am a dog lover,” Kissinger said. “I love spending time with puppies and it’s a good stress reliever. I have a dog myself, and nothing beats just sitting down and petting your dog, especially puppies. It’s just an opportunity to take a break from whatever is going on in your life, it supports a good cause and it’s a good social event.”
The event is a boon for any dog lover, whether it is just for a quick stop between classes or an afternoon-long visit.
“My favorite part of the event is seeing everyone take pictures with the puppies, hanging out with them, playing with them […] everyone always gets good pictures from it to put on their Instagram and all that,” Stafford said.
Phi Gamma Delta have partnered with the Pawfect Match Rescue for each instance of the event.
“The shelter we partner with, Pawfect Match Rescue, is just a really neat shelter,” Kissinger said. “It’s kind of small. They rely on volunteers. All of their dogs are fostered and tended to on a regular basis, and they’re really thorough in making sure they find a home where they’ll be treated well. I don’t know where the idea for the event originally came from, but it’s just something we’ve continued because it’s definitely for a great cause.”
Though the event does have a small entry fee of $3, all of the proceeds from the event will be donated directly to Pawfect Match Rescue.
“For students, it’s a chance to help give towards a good cause; I mean, it’s helping puppies,” Stafford said. “Second, it’s also a major stress reliever for sure, to be able to just hang out with people and play with some puppies.”
The event has had a good turnout in the past, and Kissinger hopes that the same can be said for this year as well.
“In the past, we normally have around five hundred students come out,” Kissinger said. “It‘s always been fairly successful, but I’m hoping that this one is going to top them all. We’re gonna try to do different things this year, so we will see how it goes.”
Puppy Palooza will be held in Stafford Commons on April 29 from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
