ForParents
A quick, plain guide to who we are, how we keep your young person safe, and what a day with us looks like, all in one place.
What is Pups in the Park?
Pups in the Park is a friendly community meet for young people and adults who love animals and creative self-expression. Our members are part of the alterhuman, therian and kemonomimi communities. In plain terms, that means they feel a strong connection to animals, or they enjoy wearing animal-styled ears, tails and masks!
A meet is a lot like a relaxed day in the park with friends. People play games, swap trinkets and handmade crafts and chat with others who share their interests. There is no pressure to dress up or join in, and all of our events are tailored towards the safety and enjoyment of young people.
How we keep everyone safe
Your young person's safety is the first thing we plan around. Here is what that looks like on the day.
Public & Family Friendly
Every meet is held in a public space and all of our events are 100% family friendly. We maintain a strict attire policy to guarantee the comfort of our attendees.
Friendly Staff
Our trained volunteers wear coloured lanyards so they are easy to find! Information on how to identify staff is found in each event's Welcome Booklet. While each of our staff members have different roles, they are all able to contact the best help for your concerns.
Age Boundaries
For the safety of young people, we enforce rules on our major age groups, including making sure under-13s are always supervised and limiting interaction between older and younger attendees.
Consent
We ask everyone to consider consent in their interactions at PITP. This includes touching people, their belongings or gear. Our official Content team always asks permission before taking photos of attendees.
First Aid on Site
We are lucky to have qualified medics on hand at each of our events, qualified to deal with any issues that happen on the day, or escalate to emergency services as appropriate in the unlikely case of a serious incident.
Concerns
If anything ever feels wrong, you or your young person can ask a staff member for help on the day, or email our events or safeguarding team beforehand.
What happens at a meet
Our events have a schedule of different activities, meets and games. These are all optional and your young person may join in or visit our other attractions like the trading or vendor area, or alternatively sit in the grass and talk to friends!
We recommend bringing water, snacks, and suncream or a coat (depending on the weather). Your young person may also want to bring a blanket to sit on the grass.
See our events
What can parents do?
We plan our venues around easily accessible amenities, so there is always somewhere nearby for a bite to eat or a quick break. If your young person is 13 or over, you are welcome to tag out for food, or simply drop them off and pick them up later.
Under-13s need a parent or guardian with them at all times, but there is usually plenty of room for those parents to relax and mingle too. If you need a break from the main event area, you and your child can easily leave and re-enter later.
Still have questions?
We are always happy to talk things through before you decide. Read our full rules and policies, or get in touch any time.