The benefits of our furry friends have long been known to those lucky enough to grow up with a puppy. Now the widespread benefits, including lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression are now being utilised by Universities, in a bid to help their students deal with the overwhelming challenges of university life.
The first on board is the University of Lancashire, where an SOS (Stressed Out Students) campaign organised by the students union, has seen a ‘puppy room’ opened on campus.
The room is being operated in partnership with the Guide Dogs charity, where students can pay a £1 donation to book a time and have access to furry goodness, in a safe place.
The puppies will be accompanied by their handlers and have their own “chill out” room if they get stressed or overwhelmed at any time.
Since the puppies are being trained as guide-dogs, the socialisation of the ‘puppy rooms will benefit them too.
“These opportunities give the puppies a chance to get used to being around people, which is great for their development and training to be a successful guide dog,” said the Student Union.
The move follows the idea formed by a Japanese Study, which proved that time spent with puppies and kittens before an exam or test, improved the students scores by as much as 44%.
