Orange County college has a new plan for dealing with finals-week stress: Puppies

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The fact that a friendly animal can help ease a human’s stress is well-established. It was only a matter of time, then, before institutes of higher learning started catching on. Locally, Chapman University in Orange County has done just that; a student group has arranged to have 10 puppies -- Maltese, Yorkshire terriers, dachshunds and pugs -- delivered to the campus to play with students during finals week. Our colleague My-Thuan Tran has the story; here’s an excerpt:

On Wednesday, in the middle of ‘cram week,’ a bunch of puppies will be stationed outside the university library for students to pet and play with. The event, called ‘Furry Friends for Finals,’ is being organized by the university’s Active Minds club, which promotes mental awareness.

‘It has been proven that having a dog helps relieve stress, so we thought it would be a cute idea if we brought some furry friends on campus,’ said Jennifer Heinz, a sophomore and integrated educational studies major who helped organize the event.

Heinz said her poodle-and-Maltese mix, Bindi, helps her relax.

‘I love my dog,’ she said. ‘Dogs are always so happy and want to play, and that helps make you happier.’

Heinz said she’s received comments from other students expressing excitement about the cuddly canines.

‘You can automatically see on someone’s face when something happy comes to them, and little dogs are a cute way of doing that,’ she said.

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