Puppy Therapy Helps Law School Students Chill Out

The Washington Post via video
Dashiell Bennett 2,429 Views Dec 2, 2011

Yesterday was "Puppy Day" at George Mason's School of Law, as the university brought in a pack of adorable doggies to help stressed out students deal with the pressure of end-of-semester exams. 

This is the second time that George Mason has offered the semester-end puppy party and, obviously, it's a hit with the kids. It was probably relaxing for the dogs, too, since they were all recently rescued from euthanasia by a Virginia dog rescue foundation.

Cuddling with animals has been shown to be a proven stress reliever, which is why therapy dogs are a growing presence in hospitals, nursing homes, and even courtrooms, where they've helped young children get through difficult testimony about abuse. Yale Law School even has a registered therapy dog on call at their library. (Students can "check out" Monty for a 30-minute play date.) Given the pressure that college students finds themselves under as the crunch of exams and job hunting comes bearing down on them, any healthy distraction is a welcome addition to the end-of-year schedule.

Also: PUPPIES!

Check out the video below and see more photos at The Washington Post.

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