Airport dogs bring canine cheer to holiday travelers


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SALT LAKE CITY — Millions of people will travel home for the holidays this week through our nation's airports. If they face bad weather, extra security, flight delays and cancellations, that travel will be anything but jolly. This December at Salt Lake International, travelers and workers are discovering that "happiness is a warm puppy."

The furry Pilot PUPs that wander the airport every Friday help many passengers navigate the turbulence of air travel on the ground. The dogs are members of Therapy Animals of Utah.

"They greet, they calm and they entertain; that's kind of their job," said Paulette Bennett, handler for Miss Sophie, a black and white Goldendoodle working at the airport. The dog stops every few feet to be petted and to give canine cheer to the young and the old.

The Pilot PUPs, or Pets Unstressing Passengers program, began in February, and the airport could not be more pleased with its success.

"The passengers love it, the employees love it. The dogs and their handlers are sort of an extension of the airport family," said Bianca Shreeve, a spokeswoman for Salt Lake International Airport.

The handlers are often surprised by how quickly the public gets attached to their dogs.

"You can see the minute someone looks at them, it's like, 'Oh, you're my new friends,'" said Dee Voeller, who handles Annie, a white Goldendoodle working at the airport.

On the Friday before Christmas, Bert, a golden retriever, was the third member of the pack spreading canine cheer to frazzled holiday travelers.

Jaquelyn Corr was making her way to Idaho Falls from Phoenix when her phone got lost and she lost communication with family. After petting Bert, a well-known flirt with the ladies, Corr said her day had turned around.


The passengers love it, the employees love it. The dogs and their handlers are sort of an extension of the airport family.

–Bianca Shreeve, SLC International Airport


"Now, I'm not having the worst day ever. I'm not because of you," Corr said as she hugged Bert.

After 9/11, a California chaplain brought her therapy dog to the San Jose International Airport to ease travelers' anxieties about flying. Now, hundreds of therapy dogs volunteer in more than two dozen terminals around the country.

"They know what they're doing," Bennett said. "They're happy to be here. They're happy to snuggle and have people love them."

On Friday, the dogs helped calm little Jack Sweeney's nerves as he waited for a long flight to Hawaii. He's only 18 months old, and mom, Liz Sweeney, said, "We were so excited to see the dogs. He just loves dogs."

In fact, Jack has three dogs at home and his mom is pretty sure the animals have a calming effect on her son. "I think it will help him fly, as well, to play a little bit with them before we get on the plane," she said.

"Children's faces light up when they see the dogs in the terminals. It's sort of an unexpected surprise for a lot of people," Shreeve said.

It's a surprise that the airport would like to offer more people on more days of the week. So, in 2015 expect to see more of these Pilot PUPs on ground patrol.

Contributing: Debbie Dujanovic

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