The Lutheran Campus Ministry at IU and Bloomington Animal Care and Control teamed up for the event that more than 1,200 people signed up for on Facebook.
This large turnout resulted in the shelter and individuals bringing extra dogs for the ministry.
Dunn Meadow was covered end-to-end with puppies, and the sidewalks were lined with students watching from a distance, trying to take pictures of the dogs.
Right around start time, it started to rain. But aside from a few shivering puppies, the event carried on as the weather improved.
Sophomore Haley Garl, whom others involved called the superstar in running the event, said it was an overall success and they have it down to a science in the fourth year.
“It’s fun, it takes a little bit of work, but it’s always a good end result,” Garl said.
Jeff Schacht with the Lutheran Campus Ministry said the money is split between the ministry and the shelter.
In terms of canine participants, there was Lana, the Great Pyranees-black Labrador retriever mix that just wanted to cuddle.
There was Max, the volunteered golden retriever that ran around so ferociously he carried the woman controlling his leash.
There was Cletus, who a worker named Jason Tharp said could talk when given a treat.
And there was Shiva, a boxer pitbull the renters held up in the air like Simba from the “The Lion King.”
The stress-relieving puppies had to be returned after their half-hour, and sometimes that can be the ?hardest part.
The participants had gotten their money’s worth and had to return to the daily happenings of their lives.
“I’m going to be so sad,” Shiva’s renter Kayla Jones said with the dog scratching her face. “I’m not ready.”
One woman held her black lab tight to her chest as her boyfriend said it was time to go.
Daniel Albrecht, another student in attendance, said he was getting emotionally attached.
Grace Hankins and Hannah Donlan, the renters of a black dog named Leopald, were enjoying the idea of having a dog to spend time with.
“We are debating how much a month it’ll cost to get a dog now,” ?Hankins said.
The event had a kissing booth for people who didn’t get a slot or didn’t have the time to rent one.
People already with a dog or puppy would sometimes stop in their tracks upon seeing another cute puppy.
One group of men walking by with a dog of their own had to carry it because it wanted to spring into Dunn Meadow to play with the field of pups.
The time with the puppies was temporary, but the organizations were happy with the result and said the participants left happy as well.
The puppies allowed all of this happiness to happen.
“The half-hour works pretty well,” Schacht said. “They get their puppy fix and then go back to studying or whatever else they have to do.”
