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Not only was the Puppy Park a popular destination at Convening Leaders that brought participants joy, it resulted in an extremely high rate of adoption — most of the shelter puppies who were brought to the convetion center found forever homes. Photo courtesy Whatever Media Group
Going back maybe a dozen years, the idea of bringing dogs to a convention to interact with attendees would have seemed a foreign concept. But just as therapy dogs have become commonplace at hospitals and nursing homes, dedicated spaces for puppies from a local shelter to cuddle with — and potentially be adopted by — attendees have found a home at all kinds of business events.
Call it a wellness activation. Research has shown that the simple act of petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while the social interaction between people and their dogs increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin — the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies.
That feel-good hormone must have been what Shannon Coldon was feeling in January, as she sat cross-legged on the floor at the George R. Brown Convention Center floor with Homer, one of three puppies from the same litter, who scampered around the white-picket-fenced Puppy Park during Convening Leaders and chewed on her name badge, stealing her purse and her heart. PCMA worked with a local shelter, Jenni’s Rescue Ranch, to bring the dogs to The District, where other activations were taking place. Coldon, director of sales, in-market, North Pacific, for Caesars Entertainment National Meetings and Events, described the Puppy Park as “just pure joy.”
She came to Houston with absolutely no intention of adopting a puppy during the event, “but that’s what happened,” Coldon told Convene. “I went over to pet the puppies and fell in love with this one little guy. I told myself that if he was still available after lunch that day, it was meant to be.”
When Coldon returned later that afternoon, she found that Homer’s two siblings — all three had been named after characters in “The Simpsons” — had been adopted, but he was not yet spoken for. “I was like, alright, I’m going to have to call my husband and see if we can make this happen.” Although he reminded her that they already had two dogs at home, he said that if she had her heart set on bringing him home, he was okay with it.
Falling in love with Homer was easy. Getting the five-pound, Chihuahua-Dachshund mix from Houston to her home in Las Vegas turned out to be anything but. Coldon filled out the required paperwork to adopt Homer, but he wasn’t cleared to be picked up by her before she had to fly home the following day. She learned that a transport service could bring him to her, but the closest drop-off point on the driver’s route was a nine-hour drive from her home — a non-starter. So Coldon posted a request on Facebook: If anyone happened to be going from Houston to Las Vegas and would be willing to “fly a dog to me, please let me know.”
Luckily, the husband of one of her colleagues in Houston was attending a conference in Las Vegas the following week. Coldon arranged for Jenni’s Rescue Ranch to have someone foster Homer for a week until her colleague’s husband was due to travel to Las Vegas. A grateful Coldon met him at the airport to bring Homer, whom she’s since renamed Oakley, home, where he has been getting along famously with their two other dogs — “I call them ‘The Three Amigos,’” she said. “They’re obsessed with him.” Ditto for Coldon’s husband. “He’s just smitten.”
Michelle Russell is Convene’s editor in chief.
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This article and those listed below are part of Convene’s April 2025 issue cover and CMP Series story package.