It was a day filled with extra hugs, kisses, and belly rubs for the dogs that call Palm Valley Animal Society home.

On Saturday, dozens of volunteers from the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen made it their mission to give back. 

The volunteers gave back during “The Big Event,” an annual one-day, student run service project. 

On Saturday, participants volunteered at the Palm Valley Animal Society.

“I'm a dog lover, so being around is really bringing out my happiness and a stress reliever — especially with midterms and finals coming up,” Texas A&M student Emiliano Lopez said. “But having this event is just really nice overall.”

Volunteers took the dogs out on walks, helped clean up their cages and prepped for an adoption event.

“We normally have between 80 and 150 students that participate every year, this year we are partnering with Palm Valley Animal Society and this is our way of saying thank you for all the great work they do in their community,” Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen Program Coordinator Luis Salinas said.

Watch the video above for the full story.