Hi, you're listening to Cultivate Curiosity, a podcast that inspires the next generation to stay curious. Cultivate Curiosity is brought to you by the Emerald Coast Science Center, a nonprofit interactive science museum and STEAM educational facility in Fort Long Beach, Florida. This podcast is perfect for anyone curious about the world we live in, because you never know what we'll talk about next. Hey, everyone, it's Eileen, the social media coordinator at the Emerald Coast Science Center. Welcome back to this episode of Cultivate Curiosity. Today, I'm going to be bringing you all on a bit of a story time. Something really unexpected happened last year that completely changed the science center. And it all started with some puppies. So last July, it was a normal day at work. It was late summer, so it was very hot outside, and we were all getting a bunch done. We were getting ready for summer STEAM workshops coming up and getting all the programming ready for the new school year, and also vamping up the the science center and getting it ready for the year. All of a sudden, a guest comes in and says, did you guys know that there are puppies outside? Of course, all of us were intrigued. Puppies? What do you mean? They said, as we were pulling down the drive that leads into your parking lot, we saw puppies out there on the ground by the tree. A couple of us working in the office that day ran outside immediately to see what the heck this person was talking about. A couple hundred feet from our parking lot leading to the road were seven sweet, beautiful, tiny puppies. They all immediately ran up to us, loving and kissing and so sweet, but also very scared and needed help. So we drug a wagon outside and loaded these puppies up and took them inside. Are we a shelter? No. Do we know what we're doing with seven puppies? Not really, but we did it anyways. We cleaned them up. Our director, Diane, called our local animal shelter, paws, and together they made a plan. At this time, and most of the time, the shelters are full. So as a team, we made the decision to foster them ourselves until they could get adopted. Now, I say as a team, but Diane took all seven of these puppies home every single night. She gave them a safe home and gave them tons of love. And then during the day, they came to work. These puppies would hang out at the science center while we all worked. It was complete chaos, but it was the best. We all pitched in, taking care of them, making sure they were clean, fed, and they got so many cuddles during the workday. Diane would even load them up in the wagon and do what she called puppy parades with them around the museum, and she would do this, hoping to find them a home with a family. And at some point, we decided that they did need proper names. So we decided to name them after space things like constellations and moons. We named them things like Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Luna. Then we did a full on puppy photo shoot. Trying to get seven puppies to sit still was nearly impossible, but it was super silly and fun. And then we started posting them on social media, introducing each pup and sharing their story. And then the community responded. People shared the post, they messaged us. People came in just to see the puppies. And those puppy parades I mentioned earlier, those worked. Kids would gasp, parents would smile, and it was impossible to walk past without stopping. And these puppies loved the attention. They loved the kids, and it changed the energy in the building. But I want to pause here for a second and talk about something super important. We could have not done any of this without paws. They guided us through everything. The vaccinations, the health checks, adoption events, making sure each puppy was safe and ready for a new home. Shelters like paws, though, are constantly full. They're stretched thin, and they still keep showing up for animals who need help. So if you've ever thought about adding a pet to your family, please, please, please consider adopting. These animals don't want to spend another night in a kennel. They want a couch, they want a backyard, and they want a home. So when you support your local animal shelter, whether that's adopting, fostering, volunteering, or even just sharing their posts, you are directly helping animals in your own community. And here's where our story gets even better. Because remember how I said that we were fostering? That was the original plan. But plans changed. One of our educators, Maddie, adopted one of the puppies and she named her Rhea. Then miss Susan at the front desk offered to do a little sleepover with one of them. And that sweet girl never came back. Her name is Nova. And then there's me. I took two puppies home thinking, absolutely not. I am not keeping a dog. I'm just gonna help. Famous last words. I. I now have one of those puppies. His name is Ozzy, and he's the only boy out of the seven. He has completely taken over my life in the best way. I love him so much. And as a social media coordinator, I spend a lot of time at my desk editing and posting and doing things like that. So I bring Ozzy to work with me. He has a bed under my desk. He wanders the office like he owns the place. And his favorite part about coming in is greeting everyone. He immediately tries to find Diane, and during our employee meetings, Maddie, Susan bring our pups in so that they can reunite. And it's absolutely chaotic, but it has made our monthly meetings so much more fun. And then Ozzy has officially become the science center's office pup. Visitors ask about him, kids look for him. And what started out as seven scared puppies by a tree turned into something that brought our entire community together. Every single one of those puppies found a loving home. Every single one. And that's because our community showed up. So this episode is really just a reminder to support your local animal shelter. Adopt and don't shop. And don't underestimate how one unexpected moment can change everything. And now ozzy has a new adventure. He officially has his own social media account where you can follow along as he comes to work, attends employee meetings, makes new friends, and lives his best life as a science center's official office pub. Thanks for hanging out with me for this little story time. I hope it made you smile. I hope it made you think about adoption, and I hope it reminds you that sometimes the most unexpected, unexpected things end up being the most meaningful. We'll see you next time on cultivate curiosity. Bye.