UPS driver takes adorable photos with dogs along his delivery route: 'The best part of the job'

Jason Hardesty starts his day at a UPS facility and while on his pre-determined route, he interacts with both customers and dogs. He delivers packages along his New Orleans neighborhood and whenever he meets a pup, he snaps a picture with them and the result is all too adorable.

“Every time I see a dog, I definitely get more excited than I used to,” the 35-year-old UPS veteran told Good Morning America in 2020. During the depressing times of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the entire world was grappling with constant fear and anxiety, Hardesty was one of the few people who decided to bring a smile to everyone's faces. 

Today, Hardesty has over 130K followers on Instagram, thanks to the precious photos of him and his furry friends. He said that he began taking pictures with the pets he encountered on his way with the hashtag #pupsofjay but never expected them to go viral. "I picked up a dog, just goofing around on a Friday. I took a photo with him, posted it on my Instagram and he got me more likes than I've ever seen. So every Friday, I try to keep up with that," he shared.

Due to his huge fan following on social media, Hardesty is now a local celebrity. Speaking of the dog owners' response to him, he explained: "Owners are pretty cool when I ask to take a photo with their dogs because they're like, 'You are going to make my dog famous!'"

"The best part of the job is taking random breaks and hanging out with buddies, like my friend Mac, here," Hardesty added, talking about a golden retriever sitting beside him. "We have been friends for about three years. We sit down, beat the heat and have nice conversations about some cats."

He said that as long as his deliveries reach people on time, the UPS driver is more than glad to share some puppy love with the world. "I definitely get a lot of positive feedback. I appreciate that because [2020] has been horrible and the fact that I can make someone smile for even a second means a lot to me," he said.

Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Hardesty said he was moved to a new route in a younger neighborhood. “My old route, which was more families, the dogs did not like you," he said.

"They moved me to a different area of town with more people my age, more single people and the dogs were a lot friendlier," he added, explaining that he limits himself to posting one dog every Friday evening. "So there’s a waiting list of dogs," he said. Hardesty does not have a dog of his own but says that playing with the puppies along his route is an everyday highlight. “They love the fact that their dog loves me and I love them,” he said.

Every time there is a new post from Hardesty, people flock to the comments to express how 'pawsome' he is for taking these fun photos on his way while working. "Your smile instantly brings one to my face. Thank you," said @tullylaura. "Thank you for being such a wonderful human being and kind soul to the doggies," added @rescued_dogs_28. "Thank you for creating this account and showcasing these beautiful animals. I'm so happy they make your day bright as you do your job!" wrote @lynxie3030. "These are so good. I love how you pose differently with each dog. Thank you for this!" commented @becky_burch.