2025 Puppy Picnic sponsored by One Dog Rescue

What could be better on summer afternoon in Iowa than kids getting to cuddle with puppies?

One Dog Rescue made that happen on July 26 by hosting an outdoor puppy picnic for school-aged children attending the Sunrise Summer Program at Wellman, IA.

The picnic centerpiece was three 8-week-old puppies that roamed around a circle of 30 kids sitting on the grass, each one eager to pet and hold one of those puppies!

Added to the fun were healthy snacks and flavored water provided by the rescue, and a special “Puppy Pals” T-shirt for each child attending.

But behind the fun was education too. Katlin, a vet tech from the Keota Veterinary Clinic, attended. After asking the group who had dogs at home, she talked about dog care (such as providing water and food, and taking them outside to potty). Ann Valentine, rescue founder and retired educator, explained how to handle squiggly, wiggly puppies and how to be kind and calm. And she read from an age-appropriate book “Puppy Mind.”

There were take-home materials, too. In a folder each child got were worksheets from the book that was read AND a special coloring page with images of each visiting puppy! (And for parents, the folder also included an info sheet — what got done at the picnic and who sponsored it.)

When the kids got up to leave after the picnic, they were all excited and talking about puppies!

The event was funded in part by a grant from Paws on Your Heart Pet Rescue Support, which invited area pet rescues to apply for funding for a community service project. While some rescues already do community outreach, One Dog Rescue is too new (just 2 years old) to do so. But when they got Paws’ invitation to apply for funding for a community service project, they created this puppy picnic as one such project!

And the best part is that the rescue promised an event repeat next summer! Again, a great outcome in not just the current community service, but its success in paving the way for more such events to happen again.

If you are excited about events like this happening in your community, please consider donating to Paws on your Heart Pet Rescue Support through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PawsRescueSupport/.

Interested in adopting one of these gorgeous, kid-approved puppies? Learn more about them at Adopt A Pet or Petfinder, and apply here: https://onedogrescue.org