Stressed out? Missing home? Need something to put a smile on your face? Well there is one easy solution: puppies.
For three years now, freshmen have been blessed with the sight of these furry, lovable creatures. Last Wednesday, UMatter and their co-sponsor Healthy HAWKS brought in three pups, Tilley, Mollie and Truman, into Fox Common and the first floor common room in Leitch Hall. There, students were able to spend some time with therapy dogs and unwind. The line to mingle with these pups in Leitch was fairly long, the average wait being about 20-25 minutes, but it was absolutely worth it.
Tracy Moore, the advisor of Healthy HAWKS, worked with Jacquie Keeves, the assistant director of violence prevention, and her student group, Campus Advocates for Preventtion Education (CAPE), to plan the Paws to Play series.
Therapy dogs have been brought to campus for about four years now. Initially, they were only brought to the Stress Relief Fairs that occur once every semester.
“There are so many fantastic benefits to therapy dogs –stress relief, lowering blood pressure, increasing socialization, etc.– and the students loved it so much – it amazed me how they were willing to wait in such a long line to hang out with them. We had to expand the program.”
These puppies were then brought straight into the residence halls, focusing on first year students who might be feeling the stress of college.
Studies shows that the first three to six weeks for first year students are the hardest. Going from having your family around constantly to not seeing them as often is tough on anyone. Things start to get really hard when these students cannot seem to find their rhythm or fit in.
“The students who struggle may not make a trip to come see the dogs if we had them elsewhere, so it made perfect sense to bring them directly to the first year halls. Other research says that in order for a student to feel grounded and connected to their school, often all it takes is a brief interaction – someone who represents the school connecting with them. So by having peer educators there, we’re offering an opportunity to students who feel a bit lost to hopefully begin to find their footing,” Keeves said.
The Healthy HAWKS have been helping out with Paws to Play since they began in the residence halls. This year, they also added CAPE which is a new organization that focuses on sexual violence and suicide prevention. Paws to Play actually falls under the suicide prevention category because “it’s all about offering support to students – it’s just done in a very indirect way.”
What Keeves loves the most about this program is how much students love this program. “On the outside it looks like all fun and games (which it is) and yet there is some really great stuff happening.” It’s safe to say that these puppies definitely put a smile on all of our faces.
Want to see these pups again? They will be making another appearance on Fresh Check Day so be sure to check it out!
