Delivery drivers have had a love-hate relationship with pups for the longest time. When they pull up their trucks at a house with dogs, they never know if its furry residents would run towards them with bared fangs or greet them with a wagging tail.
That’s why we see some drivers dash towards the door and drop off the package as quickly as possible to avoid an angry canine encounter.
But this UPS driver named Jason “Jay” Hardesty is one lucky guy. He didn’t have to be wary of dogs during his route, because he has made friends with them! And as proof of that friendship (and just because he loves dogs a lot), he takes an adorable selfie with each pooch.
Jay has been driving for UPS in New Orleans for seven years. The dog selfies began two years ago when he was transferred to a new route in a neighborhood with younger residents.
“My old route, which was more families, the dogs did not like you,” Jay told BuzzFeed News. “They moved me to a different area of town with more people my age, more single people, and the dogs were a lot friendlier.”
The pups were so accommodating that they would come to the door and let him pet them. One day while he was on duty, Jay took a selfie with a cute pup he saw and posted it on Instagram. His followers loved it, and they asked for more of the adorable snapshots! The dogs, on the other hand, were happy to be included.
You’d be surprised to know that these selfies didn’t have to involve any bribery to be done.
“I don’t carry treats, the dogs are always just happy to see me,” Jay told MNN.
He loves all the canine friends he encounters, but he admits to having a favorite: a boxer mix named Summer, pictured below.
Jay, who describes himself on Instagram as “a very easily entertained UPS driver,” posts the selfies on the popular video and photo-sharing platform with the hashtag #pupsofJay. While he had a great following on Instagram, it was when author Jami Attenberg—who lives along his route—shared a link to his tag that his account got massive attention.
“I think I gained like 10,000 followers in 48 hours,” he said.
Seeing his infectious smile while posing with his canine customers, it’s no wonder people can’t get enough of the selfies!
“People love the photos because they get packages and they love their dog,” he said. “It works out well for everyone.”
Clients on his route are also thrilled to see their pets featured on his Instagram.
“Customers love it because it gives your dog attention and every dog loves attention,” Jay said.
He doesn’t have to worry about going home to jealous sniffing, because Jay doesn’t have any dogs.
“I do not own a dog,” he said. “That’s what makes it so much fun to play with other people’s!”