Around fifty students, families and community members raised over 300 dollars for the Furry Friends Network by “renting” dogs to walk through Dickinson’s campus.

Phoenix, an all-female-identifying community service group, organized the semi-annual fundraiser on Britton Plaza on Sept. 9.

Rent-A-Pet showcased current and former foster dogs from the Furry Friends Network, which is a “non-profit, all-volunteer animal adoption organization,” according to their website.

According to Heather Champion, director of employer relations, who has fostered and adopted her own pets through the Furry Friends network “often pulls dogs from shelters where there’s not enough space or they may have medical or behavior issues that can’t be addressed in the shelter. We’ll pull those into foster homes.”

Through Champion’s connection, Phoenix learned more about the organization and has since held several fundraisers with them.

According to co-president Baylie Rubin ’18, Phoenix has chosen to “uphold the tradition [of Rent-A-Pet] because so many people enjoy it”, in addition to the dogs, whose bellies were rubbed and whose tails were wagging. According to Rubin, the funds raised by Rent-A-Pet “go towards…making sure that the people who foster these animals have the resources to do so.” Rubin says over 50 people “rented” pets this year, raising $310 in total.

Rubin also shared how events like these “really help spread awareness about adopting instead of just buying from breeders and making sure that these dogs find homes.”

Co-president Sophie Coates ’18 also added “that [the dogs] are loved in all steps of the process.”

The Furry Friends Network had multiple adoption showcases on the same day as Rent-A-Pet. According to Champion, “most of our foster [dogs] went to those events. So, a lot of…the dogs that are here are ones that were fostered by Furry Friends and are now adopted locally…So, even though they may not be up for adoption, they were at one point and they’re good examples of what fostering can do and how great the dogs are and can be once they have a foster home or permanent home.”

Phoenix will be hosting another Rent-A-Pet during SpringFest. Phoenix and invites any female-identifying students to email them at [email protected] to get involved.