It has come to our atten-shons that two Universities are attempting to reduce student stress by encouraging playtime. WITH PUPPEHS!
First, The Herald Extra is reporting that BYU student and entrepupneur Jenna Miller started an organization called Puppies for Rent and “is offering a wriggling batch of now seven puppies for playtime rentals, with each pup hand delivered straight to customers’ doors.”
Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia is also using this novel way to help students de-stress.
Cuddle puppehs and cope with finals week?! Sign me up.
Animuhls are brought in by Therapeutic Paws of Canada.
Puppies for Rent images via PuppiesforRent.com and Instagram. Puppy Room flyer via Dalhousie FB.
Yay Halifax!!! According to the news this morning more than 300 people were lined up waiting for some cuddles when the puppy room opened at Dal yesterday. Perhaps some non-students may have been in line, too (trying to not look too guilty here….)
I don’t have a problem with renting a puppeh as long as they are very, very well cared for (which the article indicates they are) and there’s not too much stress put on THEM (they’re just babies, after all). But what happens after they grow up? *anxiety increases just thinking about it*
The article on the BYU student indicates that most of her puppies are adopted by former renters once they grow up. I can see it actually… it’s the best kind of advertising to get someone to provide a permanent home. You rent a dog, fall in love and decide you can’t live without it.
The other group indicates that they are a therapy dog group so I wouldn’t be surprised if these puppies are not potential therapy dogs in training. All therapy or service animal training programs I know of will adopt out any dogs who wash out of training and those who don’t wash out are then usually put in service.
My school does this exact same thing (however, not with door-to-door service,) and the shelter that runs it says that the pups actually really benefit from this because they get nice socialization.
Well, if (as I am hoping) they find them good homes thereafter, they’ll certainly be well socialized, both with dog and with humans!
“Yup, it’s a room full of puppies.” Sign me up!
Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada is doing the same thing — they have therapy dogs at the library!
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/NL/Featured/ID/2312523147/
What a great idea!!
We are also having doggies in the Library here at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! They are not “rented” (don’t care for that idea) but are located in the library itself and played with while the students take a study break.
Pic # 2 – nice young man, puppeh, and freaking awesome mountain in the background!!!
Rainbow, too!
I immediately thought, Double rainbow dude.
lol….I had to scroll back up and go woah!!! Ceejoe was right. I focused on the puppeh and wanted to snorgle him/her.
What a lovely idea. I would imagine that you could place a great many dogs into loving homes via a ‘rental service’. How could you ever return one?!
The photo processing is odd, they look like they could have been taken in the ’70′s. Also, notice on the second photo…pot of gold at the end o’ the rainbow? Naaaah, it’s puppehs!
Photoprocessing courtesy of Instagram (photo app on phones), probably!
What do you know, Emory U., where I work, is doing this very thing this week! http://news.emory.edu/stories/2012/12/library_dogs_during_finals_as_stress_relief/campus.html
The University of Montana has a group of local therapy dogs come in to the University Center during finals week so that students can take a break, come hang out with them, and relieve a little stress, as well. Always such a bunch of sweet doggehs.
YAYNESS
GOOD LUCK w/ exams (or are you a professor?) Wendy!!!
The Countway Library at Harvard Medical School has Cooper, a shi-tzu who is a therapy dog, available for snorgling two days a week.
I”M ON MY WAY what are his(?) visiting hours???
Looks like he’s available for consultation Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9-5. Here’s a link to his bibliographic record (!!) in the online library catalog: http://tinyurl.com/ax4ebvn
Some libraries are just better than others…
THEY DO NOT have a bibliographic item in the catalog.
I refuse to open the link and see it.
That CAN NOT POSSIBLY exist.
*takes a sailboat down DeNial River.*
Firdie, when I was taking the introductory cataloging class, for our final exam, we had to catalog a doggeh.
I am SO! Jealous. The thing I was home sick the most for when I went away to school was the dog. Back in my day not only did we have to walk 5 miles to and from class up hill in both directions but we had to destress with MTA buses and college text books.
And I assume you were walking barefoot? In the snow?
you CAN:T barefoot in the snow say that without saying
walking, barefoot (dramatic pause)
UPHILL (another dramatic pause)
BOTH WAYS !!!!
Oh, yeah? In MY day, we usedta live in a shoebox and eat dirt!
we couldn’t afford the shoebox
We DREAMED of a shoebox!!
I am a student at Georgia Tech and we had therapy dogs come into our library yesterday and they are coming back in today!
Is there a kitten version? And do you have to be a student?
*conceals grey hair beneath woolly hat*
*heh heh* Don’t forget to take a few ear-worn textbooks with you, Alice
Our college, the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth Minnesota (at least you know where Minnesota is, right?) has a visiting Leonberger for dog therapy visits during exam weeks.
A LEONBERGER!? TONS o’ floofy de-stressitude!
Oooh, embedding didn’t work. DO click the link and see the big wookiee-dog playing with a kitteh!
At about 30, the big ol dawg starts to whimper like “He won’t leave me alooooone!”
Now that’s a pup that understands the joys of belleh huffing !
I so wish we could do this at my college too!!! We are all stressed as the semester gets near its end. I fear my students would just use it as evidence for “the dog ate my homework” excuse though!
Not to mention they know how easily distracted by cute I am…. “Final exam? Look, teacher, a cute puppeh! A kitteh! oooo!”
I want something like this, with kittehs included, where I work! We’ve been pushing for a “Bring Your Pet to Work” day, but this concept is even better.
Best. Idea. Ever!!!!
I have 2 college kids and they both have exams next week….wonder if I could call their universities and request “rental pets” for them, ya know, like renting books??? Haha…if only. I guess I’ll just have to Skype the kids and have our dog and 2 kittens say hello (but a snorgle would be so much better).
Yay Halifax !!! I believe they’re actually Therapy Dogs and all have proper homes and fabulous owners.
All libraries with therapy baby dogs WIN
(as long as the doggies are ultra well-cared for)
And here’s a video of the ones being snorfed at Dalhousie!
http://bit.ly/VCoeNa
This is a fantastic idea. Wish they had it when I was at university. I only had copious amounts of cookies and crackers to console me….
There is a ritzy hotel here in my town with a concierge who brings her lab goggie into work. Hotel guests, lonely for their pets, can sign up to walk the lab. It is a very popular service and the lab goggie loves it.
OMG, that is brilliant. That Lab must be the happiest imp on 4 peds!
Duke does this too: http://today.duke.edu/2012/04/puppyplaytimepics I’m bringing my people-loving dog next spring.
HEY! I have to wrestle with TWO reports and finish preparing for TWO meetings this week. I am STRESSED! Don’t I get a goggie!!!?!?!!
R.P.B.: Here — how about this lil fella ???
http://puppydogweb.com/gallery/puppies/labradorretriever2.jpg
NO way I can say anything good here. Better not say anything.
When I was in dorms at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO back in 2007, they brought dogs for us to play with it during finals week, as well.
We are having puppies here too during finals week
Looks like a lot of universities are getting on board with this fabulous idea!
University of California, Merced has been having therapy dogs come in at finals time for years. A great event.
Lots of schools have been doing this already…I wish my med school did, but maybe they’re worried about all of us giving the dogs infections =P
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/StressCoping/checking-monty-yale-law-students-reduce-stress-therapy/story?id=13206568#.UL_BBIdfDEI
Awww maaannnnnn, why didn’t they have this at my college?? I’d settle for a room full of kittens, too. Just sayin.
this is the best idea EVAR
As a Dalhousie student, a part of the DSU AND an avid reader of CuteOverload for years now…I am squealing right now that we’re on here. #fangirling
We’ve had therapy dogs come in weekly at University of Pittsburgh for a few years now, either once or twice a week. It’s a group of therapy dogs and their humans, and they come to a common room in one of our main buildings for a few hours, and get petted. All different kinds of pups, too – big and little, young and old. [i checked online - they've been coming for EIGHT YEARS!!]. Facebook page for the Pitt therapy dogs is: https://www.facebook.com/tdt.pitt
We’ve had therapy dogs coming to the University of Pittsburgh for eight years! They come once a week, usually to the big common room in one of our main buildings, and hang out for a couple of hours. All different sizes and shapes and ages of dog. Pitt therapy dogs have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tdt.pitt. They’re trained through the humane society College Canines program.
UC Davis has a group doing this too when finals week rolls around. I love it!
The college I work for also does this. Staff bring in their puppies/dogs for the students to frolic with right before exams. It’s a big hit!
Oh my goodness…where was this when I was in college??
I wish there were puppy rooms for adults! In MN, Macalester college has a few days during exams where people just bring their dogs in for students to pet/play with (there’s no renting). My brother brings his lab/great dane mix every year and the students love it!
Go Fightin’ Scots!
Queen’s University does this too! With puppies AND kittens.
http://queensevents.ca/2012/11/14/lost-paws-and-aac-presents-critters-on-campus/
My boyfriends frequently says he wishes he could just roll around with a bunch of puppies! I know now what he is talking about. This is too cute! I wish when I had serious studying to do this was an option!
George Washington University Law School has a pet study break during final exams too. A student organization arranges for the animal shelter to bring puppies and kitties to the school for us to play with! They collect donations of kitty food in return, the animals get some exercise and a break from their cages, and everyone’s happy. I got to snorgle lots of kitties!
The University of North Carolina-Charlotte had them during finals in the library, it was a great help during a stressful exam time!