Syracuse Hancock International Airport Doesn’t want Travel to be Ruff

Syracuse Hancock International Airport is excited to announce that it has teamed with PAWS of CNY, Inc. to offer a Pet Therapy Program at the airport. The program, which is called the SYR Pets Easing Travelers (PET) Program, is designed to help ease the stress of the traveling public and their loved ones. The Airport will launch the program on November 22, 2016, just in time for the start of the busy holiday travel season.

Airport Pet Therapy Programs were established at San Jose Airport shortly after 9/11, the programs, which dispatch specially trained dogs and their owners to interact with passengers at every stage of the pre-flight process was designed to help provide stress relief.

“We want to thank PAWS of CNY, Inc. for working with us to develop a pet therapy program for the airport,” said Christina R. Callahan, Executive Director. “What a great way to help ease any stress or anxiety our passenger may be experiencing.”

The therapy dogs and their handlers/owners will walk through the terminal, visiting with passengers that are awaiting flights. Our initial team includes three dogs; Bert, Diva and Flyer.

All dogs are certified by PAWS of CNY, Inc. which ensures the dogs are tested for nonaggression, general obedience, temperament, and willingness to be hugged and petted in the midst of noisy and distracting airports.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Syracuse Hancock International Airport to bring our pet therapy services to travelers,” said Jessica Marabella, president of PAWS of CNY. “The goal of our organization is to bring warmth, comfort, and companionship to our community, and we are pleased to expand our services to include assistance to those feeling the stress of travel. It’s a perfect alignment and we look forward to a successful partnership with the Airport.”

An event was held on Tuesday, November 22, post-security at 9:30 a.m. for passengers to meet our volunteers with their dogs and get a “doggie” treat! To see photos from the event, check out our photo gallery below.