{"id":505835,"date":"2026-01-10T09:33:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T09:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/505835\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T09:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T09:33:17","slug":"airport-therapy-dogs-win-over-bills-fans-in-jacksonville-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/505835\/","title":{"rendered":"Airport therapy dogs win over Bills fans in Jacksonville"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 As Buffalo Bills fans descend on Jacksonville for Sunday\u2019s playoff showdown, they\u2019re receiving an unexpectedly warm welcome from some four-legged ambassadors at Jacksonville International Airport.<\/p>\n

Instead of encountering trash talk or rivalry signs, visiting fans are being greeted by therapy dogs from the JAX Paws program \u2013 including one appropriately named Duval, alongside companions Bernice and Queen.<\/p>\n

Duval (left) and Bernice (right) wait for Buffalo Bills fans to arrive at JAX. (News4JAX)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the best welcome we\u2019ve ever had. That was amazing \u2013 a little dog named Duval. Are you kidding me? Duuuval!\u201d Bills fan Alex Valentine said. We did reminder her that she was on camera when she said that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the dogs,\u201d she replied. \u201cGo Bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

The creative welcome initiative comes from JAX Paws, a therapy dog program at Jacksonville International Airport designed to make travelers feel more comfortable. Kelly Reed, a JAX Paws volunteer, planned the welcoming sessions around Bills fans\u2019 arrival flights.<\/p>\n

Queen rests after greeting travelers at JAX. (News4JAX)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a great idea to be here when the Buffalo Bills fans land,\u201d Reed explained. \u201cWe\u2019re here waiting to greet them hello \u2013 and hopefully send them home on Monday morning after a loss,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

For visiting fans like Valentine, who has traveled to many Bills playoff games across the country with her friends, the unique welcome left a lasting impression. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s been so nice. It\u2019s like a really cool place to watch a football game. We\u2019re happy to be out of the cold northeast,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

The impact of dogs extends beyond just Bills fans. Several visitors took the time to get on the ground and cuddle these canine ambassadors. According to Reed, the program regularly helps anxious travelers.<\/p>\n

Duval the dog sits at JAX. (News4JAX)<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you meet somebody that says, \u2018I\u2019m afraid of dogs, but your dogs are so well behaved, and they make me feel so good,\u2019\u201d Reed said. \u201cIt just makes you feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kickoff for Sunday\u2019s playoff matchup is set for 1 p.m.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 As Buffalo Bills fans descend on Jacksonville for Sunday\u2019s playoff showdown, they\u2019re receiving an unexpectedly…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":505836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[5229,4503,3188,723,7310,7341,8013,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-505835","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-bills","10":"tag-fl","11":"tag-florida","12":"tag-jacksonville","13":"tag-jacksonville-international-airport","14":"tag-jaguars","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115870119081946053","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}