A MUCH anticipated ‘Cuddle Day’ with rescued dogs was fully booked within hours of the announcement on social media.
Hundreds of dogs are looking forward to hugs from families as the Bahrain Animal Rescue Centre (BARC) opens its doors for the popular Cuddle Day.
Popular
The very popular and long-awaited event, now in its third edition, will be held on Friday with 300 dogs of all ages eagerly waiting for cuddles.
However, organisers have assured that all precautionary measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 will be implemented.
Temperature of each visitor will be taken at the gate while facemasks are mandatory for all visitors and the BARC team.
The event is already sold out with all four time slots of one hour each – at 9am, 10am, 11am and 12 noon – booked within 15 minutes of the announcement.
According to BARC rehabilitation officer Kennedy Crawford, the unique family-fun event also presents an opportunity to find homes for some of the dogs at the shelter.
“I thought it would be a great idea as our dogs haven’t seen any new faces in the last couple of months due to Covid-19 and many people have been asking if they can come visit the dogs,” she told the GDN.
“I decided that it would be a great idea to run an actual event and each family will be allowed an hour to meet the dogs with a maximum of 18 people allowed in per hour.
“The families will be separated to make sure everyone is safe and each family will have the opportunity to meet our dogs and spend time with them.”
Only five families/groups will be allowed in per hour with designated spots in order to maintain social distancing as part of precautionary measures to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Ms Kennedy also highlighted that the event was critical to raise awareness about the serene nature of stray dogs.
“At BARC we have almost 600 animals, most of whom come from the streets and I believe these events are important as they show people that dogs are extremely sweet and not a threat to people,” she added.
“A lot of people see stray dogs as dangerous and a threat, but we at BARC are hoping to change people’s minds and show them that all they need is love.”
Cuddle Day will be held at BARC in Saar on August 7 with another planned for September.
For more information follow @bahrainanimalrescuecentre on Instagram or Facebook.
reem@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))