De-Stressing During Finals Week

When I read the request for Pet Therapy Teams needed to help de-stress students during FINALS week at a local University  ~~ well OF COURSE I answered the call. How fun is this?! One very Creative Counselor at Millersville University decided to implement a program to help encourage and de-stress students during a very stressful week of finals. KPETS Teams were invited to come throughout this week, and Chester & I gladly signed up for a two hour time slot. (Where were golden retrievers during my finals weeks? HELLO?)

When we arrived on the busy campus, we found the student union, & Chester immediately trotted in and assessed the situation. Tension.  We met our host from the counseling department and then... well, we just hung out. No program.  No agenda.  We were just THERE.  The students came in and out, some were walking through, others sitting on chairs, a few on the floor ~~ studying, talking. When they noticed Chester, or his KPETS Collie-friend, Romeo --- well these students visibly DE-STRESSED  in front of our eyes.  Smiles emerged. Shoulders softened. Easy conversation flowed.  These pups worked the crowd...and knew just who to go to and what to do. Chester and Romeo wandered around, hung out with new friends, climbed up on laps, checked out computer screens, layed on the floor, got tummy rubs, gave a few kisses, performed a few tricks, received countless ear massages, and heard warm-hearted TAILS from students about their own pups on the home front, who were greatly missed :-(  ...... sigh.

Who woulda' thought  ~ Pet Therapy during finals week?  What a pawsitively great idea! All week long different KPETS teams came in and out.......and as word spread throughout campus, more and more students came, to forget about studying and pressure and finals ~~ they came to sit on the floor, and relax...with a dog.

Life is good.



Ain't it good to know... that you've got a friend...