Hot dog! That was attendees’ reaction when they arrived at our Pumpkins and Puppies event and saw a Chihuahua mix named Gizmo in an Oscar Meyer wiener costume. He was just one of the adoptable pups who joined us from the Pennsylvania SPCA for the fall celebration, hosted by the TUH-Main Campus Office of Patient Experience. Employees had the chance to play with Gizmo and three other dogs, and to decorate Styrofoam pumpkins with stickers and markers.
“Our fall event is usually Puppies and Petals, where employees can meet dogs and make flower arrangements, but this year, we wanted to do something more festive and seasonally-appropriate,” says Shamin Mathews, MSW, LSW, Manager of Community Engagement & Volunteer Services. “Decorating the pumpkins really gave our staff a chance to show off their creativity—and to be a little goofy, too. Some of the faces they made on their pumpkins were really cute, but others were just super silly.”
“It was a great opportunity for everyone to relieve their stress and let loose,” Mathews continues. “When employees came down and saw the dogs in their costumes, and all the goofy faces of the stickers for the pumpkins, they just started cracking up.”
Of course, none of those pumpkins were as much of a hit as fan-favorite Gizmo, who won himself quite a few admirers. “He was so popular,” Mathews laughs. “He kept his costume on the entire time. He really knew how to work a crowd.”
