It is offering pups on demand in a bid to raise awareness about pet adoption in Delhi. The initiative is in partnership with online pet store Dogspot.

In a blog post, Uber announced that between 1 and 4 pm on Wednesday, anyone would be able to request puppies by using its app. Once the user is connected successfully, a cab with what the company calls #uberPUPPIES will arrive at the user’s location for “15 minutes of cuddle time".

Rana Atheya, chief executive officer (CEO) of Dogspot, said, “We wrote to Uber two months back to partner with us on pet-related initiatives." He added, “We have two objectives for this particular initiative. We want to raise awareness among prospective pet owners about adoption, and secondly, use first-time pet parents to share their experiences about having a pet around them."

“We will be assembling in a common area in Gurgaon, and go across to places like Noida and Delhi and spend time with those who hail our puppy cabs," says Shipra, one of the volunteers participating in the event.

As part of the programme, there are six Uber cabs which will have a volunteer and two puppies each. Six mongrels and six pedigree pups will be up for adoption. “We will spend 15-20 minutes with people who request our puppy cab and tell them the benefits of adoption," she said.

The pets, Shipra said, “Will be made available to those interested in adopting them, albeit not immediately." Once the event ends, the dogs will be returned to their foster parents and adoption will follow, once procedures like house-checks are completed.

This is not the first time that Uber has come up with such initiatives in India. In January this year, Uber teamed up with non-governmental organization ResQ in Pune for what it called the ‘Change a Pet’s Life Day’. It allowed users to drive Uber cars (or PuppyMobiles) with puppies for 15 minutes, before offering them an option to donate or adopt.

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