Canada Post strike could halt Nova Scotia dog influencer’s Christmas cards

Christmas cards are a cherished yearly contented for Percy, who is covered successful blond hairsbreadth and has 33,000 Instagram followers.

He sends retired dozens of them each twelvemonth — much than 70 past Christmas, each with a personalized message.

But this year, things mightiness beryllium a small different.

With the Canada Post strike stretching into its 2nd week, Percy’s dada isn’t definite erstwhile he’ll beryllium capable to get each those cards successful the mail, oregon whether they’ll scope their destinations by Dec. 25.

Percy isn’t worried, though. “Cards mightiness beryllium delayed, but that’s okay!” helium posted online recently.

“Everypawdy who wants a paper volition get a card. That’s the Percy PromiseTM!”

Percy is simply a nine-year-old aureate doodle. Percy’s dada is Adam Barrett, a originative contented pb astatine a selling bureau successful Halifax who moonlights arsenic a signifier genitor for his personage pup.

Barrett launched Percy’s Instagram relationship the time helium got him, erstwhile Percy was conscionable 8 weeks old.

For years, helium posted connected his dog’s behalf each day, cultivating a devoted pursuing with photos and jokey, earnest captions written successful Percy’s voice. Sometimes the posts diagnostic his different canine and cat, Dolly and Herbie.

But Percy, 85 pounds of blond curls sporting a bandana, is the prima of the show.

Lately, Barrett has been scaling backmost connected societal media, but the Christmas paper tradition, which began 4 years ago, is inactive going strong.

Every twelvemonth astir Halloween, Percy sends retired an invitation to his legions of fans. “Do you privation a pawliday paper from maine and Dolly and Herbie this year?” helium posted earlier this month. “Let maine cognize successful the comments below!”

Barrett sent retired 72 cards past twelvemonth to Percy’s followers (some human, immoderate canine), and has plans for a akin fig this year. Some spell to folks successful Halifax, but others spell to followers each implicit the world, successful Germany and El Salvador and Australia.

“Sometimes erstwhile I beryllium backmost and deliberation astir the thought that I unreal to beryllium a canine connected the net and I nonstop cards to radical each implicit the satellite each vacation season, I conscionable benignant of instrumentality a heavy enactment and deliberation that beingness has taken immoderate unusual turns,” helium said successful an interview.

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This season’s card, designed by a friend, is an homage to the vacation drama Home Alone, with Percy arsenic a shaggier Macaulay Culkin. In years past, the cards person paid tribute to different fashionable vacation movies, A Nightmare Before Christmas, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story.

Barrett said helium personalizes the messages arsenic overmuch arsenic helium can. He’ll enactment connected a Christmas movie, beryllium down and bang them retired implicit a mates of nights, and nonstop them retired successful aboriginal December.

This year, though, Barrett doesn’t cognize erstwhile he’ll get the cards retired the door. He supports the 55,000 Canada Post workers who walked disconnected the occupation connected Nov. 15 — truthful does Percy — but helium said helium whitethorn present cards to section friends and followers successful idiosyncratic if the onslaught continues.

He mightiness besides nonstop retired integer cards to radical who privation them, helium said, though helium would alternatively not. “I similar getting message and giving mail,” helium said. “I deliberation that’s benignant of a mislaid creation oregon mislaid joy.”

So this year, Percy’s long-distance followers whitethorn not get their Christmas cards until sometime aft the holidays. But Barrett said determination mightiness beryllium an upside to the other wait, if it comes to that.

“You cognize what it’s similar … successful mid-February,” helium said. “And truthful it’s bully to get those cards a small later. It benignant of gives you a small boost successful the mediate of the winter.”

Barrett doesn’t marque immoderate wealth disconnected the Christmas cards, and the printing and postage aren’t cheap. But helium said the contented makes him consciousness connected to different people.

“I’m ne'er going to beryllium the premier curate of the country. I’m ne'er going to beryllium the person of a company, oregon a president of something, oregon the CEO of anything,” helium said.

“I’m conscionable a small-time feline connected the East Coast of Canada. But I get to bring a small joyousness to radical each implicit the world.”