The return to school is approaching, and it is inevitable to think about everything that entails: routine, considerable expenses, hurry, exams… stress. This is especially true for students, but in many cases parents also find themselves “caught up” in the situation when they see their children upset.
Stress is the process that begins when a person perceives a situation or event as threatening or overwhelming their resources. The events that trigger it are often related to changes, require the individual to make an extra effort and therefore endanger their personal well-being. Stress is one of the main problems in modern societies.
Many of us wonder what we can do to combat it. There are countless alternatives: exercising, seeking the help of a psychologist, getting therapeutic massages, reading self-help books… Each person has their own answer. Although, it has to be said, it does not always work.
However, sometimes responding to a problem is much easier than it seems and is within our reach. We only have to look around us. Proof of this is the initiative launched by Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2012: “The puppy room”.
The organizers of “The puppy room” realized that one of the things students did was search Google for images of puppies (who has never done that at some point?). Puppies, kittens, baby wild animals. When asked why, they replied that they did it to relax. From there, the dream of “The puppy room” was born.
With the help of the organization Therapeutic Paws of Canada, Dalhousie University set up a room where students could go to “destress” in a very simple and heartwarming way: petting animals. Labradors, Papillons, Dalmatians, Saint Bernards… and many other affectionate and adorable furry friends passed through the room. The initiative was, of course, a success, and no student could resist spending some time with a pet between exams or taking advantage of a break during their study day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eV70gfih9M
The therapeutic power of pets and the benefits que their presence brings are more than proven by science. In this case, it helped students relax, perform better, achieve better results, and be healthier both inside and out, as well as socialize with one another. Last but not least, it also helped them create or strengthen an emotional and affectionate bond between themselves and the pets.
Although the initiative lasted for a limited time, it inspired other institutions, such as Virginia Tech University, which carried out a similar activity in its library with the help of VT Helping Paws, as you can see here:
As we mentioned, these pet therapies have been occasional at both institutions, but at ARISTOPET we hope they will inspire Spanish institutions and that, very soon, we will receive the happy news that Spanish students will be happier and more relaxed when they go to class, especially during exam season.