Canada Games competitors made some new furry friends today!

St. John Ambulance volunteers and their accompanying canine companions of all shapes and sizes visited Athletes Village Monday morning to try out some pet therapy with Canada Summer Games athletes.

"Hank... he melted my heart when I first saw him," gushed Shaye Kembell, 19, and a softball player on Team Manitoba for the 2017 Summer Games. She was referring, of course, to the loveable giant English Mastiff pictured above, who currently weighs in at 240 kg and is described by those who know him as "a lover, not a fighter."

The purpose of the visit was to help Canada Games athletes decompress and calm their nerves during a time of high stress.

"I think it's really good, because it is really stressful. We've prepared for two years, a lot of us athletes, or even longer, and being able to just come back and relax is really good for us." Kembell said of the experience.

The opportunity for athetes competing to interact with therapy animals, a first for the Canada Summer Games, was described by John Hnatiuk, President and CEO of the 2017 Canada Summer Games Host Society as a "unique program."

"After a day of competition, [athletes] can come back to the Athlete's Village and have these great pets there for a few hours in the evening. They can unwind, kind of calm down a little bit, and maybe, because so many of these athletes are from outside of Winnipeg and Manitoba, maybe give them an opportunity to feel a little more at home.

"As a Host Society, our top priority has been the athlete experience, whether that's been their experience on the court or on the field, or off it."