COUNCILMEMBER BLUMENFIELD TO RECOGNIZE LAX'S PUP PROGAM FOR "PAWTASTIC" CONTRIBUTIONS TO GUEST EXPERIENCE

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield will meet with 20 furry faces who will be panting in anticipation at today’s City Council meeting as the Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP) program will be recognized for providing Los Angeles International Airport guests with a calm and exceptional travel experience.

              Councilman Blumenfield, Chair of the City's Trade, Commerce, and Technology Committee, said, “When traveling grows stressful, when passengers feel weary, or restless, our four-legged, tail-wagging volunteers dutifully answer the call—helping to relieve anxiety and creating an exceptional travel experience at Los Angeles International Airport. I want to thank and recognize the PUP program’s director, Heidi Huebner, and our PUP volunteers, for bringing much needed smiles to Angelenos and visitors from across the country and around the world.”

The PUP program, which launched April 2013, was created to help reduce travel anxiety for guests waiting at the boarding gates.  Since the program’s inception, the program has grown to 40 PUP volunteers with 12 more potential PUPs in the process of certification.  

In addition, Heidi Huebner, Director of the PUP program has been instrumental in paving the way for other airports and has helped 31 airports nationwide and four in Canada to start a therapy dog program.

            Huebner said, “Pets are known to be amazingly effective at relieving stress and anxiety.  These PUPs are exceptionally helpful in calming nerves and leaving our many guests with smiles upon smiles as they travel through LAX.”

Therapy dogs and handlers, sporting red vests, roam the departures levels in the gate areas of each terminal, visiting passengers awaiting flights and providing comfort, as well as airport information.  Most recently, PUP volunteers were instrumental in easing guests’ concerns about travel after the Paris attacks last week.  In addition to providing guests with comfort, the PUP program educates and informs passengers about LAX projects and construction-related traffic impacts.

PUP volunteers must have at least one year experience working with a recognized dog therapy organization. The dogs must be privately owned and be at least two years old. All PUP volunteers and dogs must be registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national organization that registers, insures, and supports members who are involved in volunteer animal-assisted activities.

            The 40 PUP volunteers are part of LAX’s team of volunteers that include 300 Volunteer Information Professional (VIP) volunteers who staff the information booths located at the baggage claim area, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.  Together, these programs are geared to enhance and educate the guests and leave them with an “LAXceptional Xperience.”

For more information about LAX’s PUP and VIP programs, contact Heidi Huebner at (424) 646-8471 or via email at hhuebner@lawa.org.