Uber’s Newest On-Demand Delivery? Puppies

In the midst of celebrating its new look, Uber also has puppies on its mind.

Today (Feb. 3), the ridesharing service is offering the delivery of puppies to users in Chicago, D.C., Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and San Francisco.

As explained in an Uber blog post on Monday (Feb. 1), between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. today, residents of the aforementioned cities can open their Uber app and select the “PUPPIES” option (“PUPPYNYC” in New York and “PUPPIESDC” in Washington, D.C.). Puppies (along with human handlers) will be delivered to a desired location to be played with for 15 minutes.

The limited-time service costs $30 and is part of a partnership between Uber and Animal Planet to promote the latter’s “Puppy Bowl” (to that end, Uber describes the human handlers as “coaches” and the puppies as part of “squads” that users of the service are encouraged to engage in “Puppy Bowls” of their own during the visit).

The promotion also has a charity angle. Each city on the list is participating in partnership with local animal rescue/humane societies, and users of the service (in most cities) will have the option to adopt a puppy. Furthermore, the Uber post directs readers to Global Giving’s website, through which they can donate to local shelters.

Referencing the success of last year’s “Puppy Bowl” promotion (during which 70 puppies were adopted), Uber advises potential participants that, while the company will do its best to meet demand, availability is limited.