Most students enjoy playing with pets, but few have the time or ability to have their own, due to class schedules and apartment restrictions.
That’s where the Rent-A-Pup program comes in, allowing students to “rent” a dog for 15 minutes.
Charlene Kormondy is the HERO program coordinator for the Burnett Honors College at UCF, and helps facilitate the Rent-A-Pup program with Pet Rescue By Judy.
“Pet Rescue By Judy is a no-kill shelter in Sanford that houses around 200 animals,” Kormondy said.
All the dogs that come out for the monthly event come from the Pet Rescue By Judy Shelter.
“Once a month, Judy selects about 10-12 dogs to bring out for Rent A Pup,” Kormondy said. “It’s my favorite day of the month.”
Volunteers from Pet Rescue By Judy come to UCF to help facilitate the Rent-A-Pup process, and it turns out that they’re all students, according to Kormondy.
Tali Trenkamp is a freshman in the Honors College, and found out about Rent-A-Pup through the Honors Educational Reach Out program.
“I found out about Pet Rescue By Judy last semester, and I’ve been volunteering ever since then,” Trenkamp said.
Volunteer Marissa Hall hopes that bringing the dogs out will help them get adapted.
“We bring the dogs out for socialization purposes,” Hall said.
Kormondy calls it a win-win situation for both the dogs and students. The dogs are able to get out of the shelter and receive human interaction, while students are able to relax and play with a furry friend.
Student Alexis Boback stopped by between classes to take one of the dogs for a walk.
“I came to Rent-A-Pup because it’s good stress relief,” Boback said. “Plus who doesn’t love dogs, they’re so cute.”
Student Jorge Aguilar enjoys giving back and helping the dogs get out to play.
“There’s not much for them to do in the shelter, this helps them de-stress,” Aguilar said.
Rent-A-Pup will return to UCF next month, April 21, at 11 a.m. outside the Burnett Honors College.
