It was puppy pandemonium in Vancouver Friday as dog lovers clamored to get into a one-day only "Pup Up" dog café.
Animal enthusiasts were asked to arrive at 10:30 a.m. at TAXI café on Richards Street to sign up for a 20-minute cuddle session with the BC SPCA animals, but a lineup started forming hours earlier.
The Pups and Cups event was totally sold out by noon, and volunteers and staff were forced to turn away hundreds of people.
Those fortunate enough to secure a space inside mingled with dogs, which are up for adoption. All of them were brought to Vancouver through the BC SPCA's Drives for Lives initiative, which transfers in animals from areas in B.C., often rural and First Nations reserves, where adoption rates are lower and overpopulation is an issue.
"We can help out those communities that may have to make other decisions in respect to the animals in their care, so we can increase the amount of adoptions by getting them down into Vancouver because we have a higher population," said Ryan Voutilainen, manager of the Burnaby SPCA Branch.
"We're able to help so many more animals, and save so many more lives."
The pups at today’s event included Ellia, an Australian shepherd cross seized as part of a cruelty investigation, Berger, an 11-week-old pug Chihuahua given up after its owners realized they couldn't handle a puppy, and Jessie, a Rottweiler puppy brought into the Abbotsford branch because his owners were moving.
One of the most popular dogs was Tuffy, who lost her eye after being kicked by a horse, and was also injured after falling out of a moving truck. Vets in Quesnel found rocks in her stomach once she was taken into care, and said she likely ate them out of boredom, and a lack of stimulation and exercise.
With the overwhelming success of Cups and Pups, the BC SPCA says it's considering similar events in the future. Catfé, the Vancouver cat café, has already adopted out more than 100 felines since opening its doors in a downtown mall in December.
The agency is urging anyone who missed out on the one-time canine and coffee event to head to their local shelter to meet furry friends, or head to its website to check out all of its adoptable animals.
"It's an important reminder that we do have animals looking for homes all over this province," said Voutilainen.
Dozens and dozens of animal lovers lined up to get into 1-day only @BC_SPCA puppy cafe in Vancouver. @CTVVancouver pic.twitter.com/eNVY94R4ev
— CTV Darcy (@darcynews) August 5, 2016