Montclair State University is in the midst of its final week of the semester. This is accompanied with final exams, projects and papers, which leaves students with last-minute stress.
Montclair State students interact with therapy dogs to de-stress for finals week.
Olivia Kearns | The Montclarion Photo credit: Olivia Kearns
With this in mind, the Health Promotion Center held Furry Friends for Finals in room 110 in Sprague Library where students could stop by and pet several therapy dogs in order to alleviate some of the stresses associated with finals week. The event was held on Wednesday, May 2, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Creature Comfort Pet Therapy based out of Morristown, New Jersey is the organization that provides the service dogs for this annual event at Montclair State.
Montclair State students interact with one of the therapy dogs.
Olivia Kearns | The Montclarion Photo credit: Olivia Kearns
Rita Levine, a member of the organization, believes this event is important to college students because she has seen firsthand the impact that dogs can have on them.
“[College students] seem to just de-stress when the dogs are around,” Levine said. “Dogs tend to do that.”
Freshman political science major Bridget Dodge pets one of the therapy dogs
Olivia Kearns | The Montclarion Photo credit: Olivia Kearns
Junior psychology major Samantha Lima, a peer advocate at the Health Promotion Center, believes that having the therapy dog event gives students a chance to unwind, even if it’s just briefly.
“[Finals week] can be a lot, and very hectic,” Lima said. “[This event] gets students out and gets them not stressing about their finals and whatever else is going on in their lives.”
Senior theater studies major Arianna Bonito believes that therapy dogs give students an opportunity take a step back from work and focus on their happiness.
“It just gives you a moment of reprieve in which you can just let all [your] stress go and just take care of your own emotional health,” Bonito said.
