Oktibbeha County Humane Society Student Chapter will host Rent-A-Pup, an event to help raise money for local animal shelters, today from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the Drill Field.
At Rent-A-Pup, students and Starkville residents have the opportunity to pay $5 and spend 20 minutes with a dog from the local humane society. There will also be T-shirts for sale and a drop-off box for donations such as collars, leashes, food bowls, pet beds, puppy pads, cat litter, toys, treats, pet food, towels and blankets.
Anita Howard, shelter manager at OCHS, said the event is a great option for students whose living arrangements do not allow pets.
“(Students) are given the opportunity to exercise and play with some of the puppies at the shelter,” Howard said.
Howard also said the event gives students and locals an opportunity to adopt a dog.
Sherrie Wiygul, secretary of OCHS, said this is the second Rent-A-Pup event; the first was held last November.
“(The turnout in November) was incredible,” Wiygul said. “We ran out of time for people to rent dogs, there were so many people lined up.”
In order to accommodate more renters, two tents and 12 dogs will be at Rent-A-Pup today.
Kate Thompson, president of OCHSSC, said she hopes today’s event is even more successful than the Rent-A-Pup event last November.
“Last year we raised $715 and countless donations,” Thompson said. “By the end of the day, all but two of the dogs were claimed. The other two had prospective owners and have since been adopted.”
Thompson said she hopes Rent-A-Pup will gain even more attention this time and will have a positive effect on local animal shelters.
“The students really seemed to enjoy Rent-A-Pup, and I know that the dogs did,” Thompson said.  “(It) is the perfect way to give the students a chance to have a pet for a while without having to handle the messy stuff and for the shelter dogs to get some much needed attention.”