Winnipeg Animal Services turns to businesses in effort to find adoptions

From a conference meeting to a team lunch, Winnipeg Animal Services is looking to connect local businesses with adoptable dogs, and the pups are eager to start the grind.

The original puppy date program gives people a chance to meet dogs looking for a new home. If it’s a good match, the adoption process begins.

Now, to let dogs experience a different environment, Winnipeg Animal Services is expanding that idea into the workplace.

“We thought, what better way to help businesses with staff enrichment, wellness, and team building than to extend that program to businesses?” asked Zoe Austin, the general manager of Winnipeg Animal Services.

Austin says the kennel can hold up to 20 dogs, and the shelter has been running at full capacity for years.

This new program gives dogs a chance to relax in a quieter space and maybe even meet their future family.

“When they go into a space with lots of people and get some socialization, we get great feedback that helps them get adopted,” said Austin.

Dogs can stay with a business for a day or even up to a week. One pup is already hard at work after being picked up from the shelter earlier today.

“The thing that makes us and our staff feel more well here is the interactions we have with dogs. So having a dog in a workspace just makes the day a little bit brighter,” said Austin.