The fur and fluff of adorable puppies met St. Thomas students walking across campus Tuesday during convo hour on the John P. Monahan Plaza in front of the Anderson Student Center.
Students could pay a $5 fee to play with a puppy for five minutes. The proceeds went to the annual Tommie Give Day fund, in an effort to bring financial support to the St. Thomas community.
The puppies, some of which are up for adoption, came from Secondhand Hounds, a non-profit animal rescue based in Eden Prairie. Anyone interested in adopting these puppies can visit secondhandhounds.org.
Ariene Willkom, an adviser to the Senior Class Gift Committee, said the puppy idea came from the students.
“We have a bunch of amazing student leaders from the student class,” Willkom said. “We wanted to raise awareness about the senior class gift and Tommie Give Day and this was one way we could do it.”
Each year the senior class leaves a legacy gift for the university.
Willkom encourages all Tommies to participate in Tommie Give Day.
“It’s not about how much you give, but it’s about participation,” she said.