22 An Oshawa couple is keeping local dogs happy and their own hearts warm with a free doggy treats café in front of their Cadillac Avenue home. Local hairstylist and dog lover Amy Gaudette, who was out of work at the time, and her fiancé, who had been laid off at GM, wanted to spread some positivity last April. "We just wanted to do something nice for the community because we're both just so fed up with all the negativity going on," Gaudette said. Currently all decked out for the holidays, Puppy Café started out as a mod- est initiative -- the couple simply left out tins con- taining treats for the dogs that walked by. Next, Gaudette chose to start an Instagram account Roxie_Rotteweiler. The account features cute photos of visiting dogs posing in front of the café. Dog owners are invited to tag the account in their photos, and Gaudette announces when the café is open to visitors in her Instagram stories. "Then I got the whole idea to put different treats out because there's dog with different dietary needs," she said. The couple has handed out more than 3,000 treats since opening. Her own dogs, Roxie and Misty, don't mind the fuss. "They are the official taste testers for the treats before they go out," Gaudette said. The café is gaining traction and receives positive comments on the Instagram page. "I've had a lot of random people, not even in my neighbourhood, just come by," Gaudette said. She said the community has donated in various ways, from custom signage to e-transfers to help keep the treats coming. "Everyone's said it makes them smile and it's made us smile too," she said. "It's been a rough couple years so it's nice to do something." The initiative has also opened up the lines of communication with people living nearby. "We didn't really talk to any of our neighbours and now we're friends with everyone," she said. She hopes to make the café more permanent, and is brainstorming ways to store the treats that will keep them safe from the heat, rain and snow. "I want to keep it going all year round," she said. The couple welcomes dogs and their owners to come by the café at 107 Cadillac Ave. S. in Oshawa. ALL DOGS WELCOME AT PUPPY CAFÉ IN OSHAWA Oshawa resident Amy Gaudette and fiancé Dylan Stiers opened a Puppy Cafe in April, providing free treats for dogs in the neighbourhood. The café has grown in popularity with a following on Instagram. Jason Liebregts/Metroland KRISTEN CALIS KCalis@durhamregion.com COMMUNITY OSHAWA COUPLE HAS HANDED OUT 3,000 FREE TREATS SINCE OPENING FREE CAFÉ