'A taste of home': Watch adorable dogs at Utah shelter get presents from Santa

Dogs at an animal sanctuary in southern Utah had a paw-sitively delightful Christmas morning as they picked out presents from Santa's sleigh.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, just north of the Arizona border, hosted a "Santa Sleigh" Christmas morning for dogs at the shelter. The shelter says the pups "joyfully picked out toys" from a sleigh "decked out in holiday trimmings and loaded with more than 500 toys" donated by the non-profit's corporate partner, Pet Supplies Plus and Blue Buffalo.

Video footage shared by Best Friends shows dozens of dogs sniffing around for the best presents, which included ropes, balls and squeaky toys. The shelter dogs also got cuddles and treats from Best Friends volunteers and staff members.

'Meaningful tradition'

Best Friends Animal Society CEO Julie Castle said in a statement that the event "is a truly meaningful tradition at Best Friends."

“It gives the Sanctuary dogs a taste of home until they find loving families of their own," Castle said. "It also makes our caregivers happy to provide this special experience for the dogs they care for every day.”

The sleigh made the rounds to more than a dozen locations at the Sanctuary’s Dogtown, delighting more than 400 dogs awaiting adoption. Best Friends said the dogs at the sanctuary came from shelters in Utah and across the country.

Dogtown is described as a "place of healing, learning and fun for dogs and puppies."

Founded in 1984, Best Friends, is a leading animal welfare organization with shelters across the country. The organization aims to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country no-kill in 2025. The sanctuary, meanwhile, is the largest of its kind in the U.S., according to Best Friends website and is "tucked into the majestic canyons of southern Utah."

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows dogs sniffing out best Christmas presents at Utah shelter