These totally pawsome, completely adorable pets calm anxious travelers at Denver International Airport.
Charlie’s trading card says his pet peeve is Halloween skeletons. Barney’s card reads that his favorite place is “laying in the snow.” Devon’s card notes that his favorite treat is freeze-dried beef.
They’re a Goldendoodle, St. Bernard, and a Black Lab, respectively, and are just three of the more than 100 dogs (and one cat) that make up the Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) at Denver International Airport. It’s the largest airport therapy animal program in the country and is made up entirely of volunteers. They (and their people, who dispense the trading cards) walk around the airport in four-hour shifts, dispensing cuddles for anxious travelers (or anyone who wants to give a belly rub), a job that is all the more important these days. While the program was suspended from March 2020 until May 2021, these days they’re back patrolling the terminals, looking for humans who could use some stress relief. We touched base with some of the CATS members to ask what it’s been like working in these unprecedented times. Here’s what they had to say.