Imagine this: it’s finals week and you are so stressed out over that long list of classes you have to study for. All you want at that time is a second of calmness in your life to take away the stress that comes with the pressure of school, grades and tests. After walking through the commons at school, you see cute, fluffy dogs wagging their tails, happy to be at DePaul Prep. Well lucky you, these dogs are here to bring you a stress free environment to take your mind off of all the worries that keep popping up in your head.
According to Paws for People, Dog therapy is scientifically proven to be a solution to help with stress and anxiety. When humans interact with dogs, it can create hormones such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine that play a significant role in reducing anxiety, stress, and relaxing a person. Many studies have been conducted to prove that even a minute of petting a dog lowers stress levels in the body.
Because dogs are beneficial in reducing stress and anxiety in a person, DePaul Prep offers dog therapy sessions during finals week. Here at DePaul Prep, dog therapy has helped many students get a break from the hectic day and take their minds off of school.
Junior Claire Duman, a student who took part in a dog therapy session at school, said, “Getting to pet and play with the therapy dogs after a stressful day of finals gave me a break from the high stress levels and constant focus that comes with finals week.”
While dogs can reduce stress and anxiety, they also can simply provide a warmth feeling of company that makes one feel loved and cared for, especially during stressful times. Duman mentioned another benefit of dog therapy which is their ability to form friendships with people. “I found myself laughing and talking with people I hadn’t really interacted with before,” she said.
During finals week, many students feel the need to isolate themselves from their friends and classmates at school due to stress. Dogs help bring students together during tough times to bond and communicate with each other.
Nicole Rand is a learning specialist who works in the learning center at DePaul Prep. Along with that, she is the advisor of the Mind the Cap club that hosts the Dog Therapy sessions every year. Rand explained that DePaul Prep has been hosting dog therapy on campus for about 3 years now. She explained that dog therapy is “very helpful for students’ well-being, especially during finals week.”
Rand explained why students at DePaul Prep should participate in dog therapy before their finals. “Dog’s physiologically reduce stress, so they lower cortisol in the body and they boost your confidence,” said Rand.
Dogs can make students feel more comfortable and confident for their tests.
DePaul Prep brings in dogs from the Canine Therapy Corps organization and Healing Heart Comfort Dogs to help students during finals week. Canine Therapy Corps is a Chicago-based network filled with volunteers and therapy dogs to help those who feel stressed during finals week. Healing Heart Comfort Dogs was the organization that DePaul Prep utilized on campus last semester. Both organizations have amazing and well-trained dogs to help lower stress levels for students.
Rand explained that it took a lot of research to find organizations with dogs that were best fit to help the students in need during stressful times. “The dogs that we work with are professionally trained and it’s not an easy process.” Said Rand. Since not all dogs can be trained for therapy work, it was important to find the best-trained dogs for the students here at DePaul Prep.
”There is a mutual relationship between these dogs and students,” said Rand.
She explained how oxytocin, a chemical for affection and social bonding, is raised in both humans and dogs and can “improve trust, and love, and affection.”
The best part of dog therapy is that it can be utilized by anyone, not just students. “Everyone deserves a break from the pressures of life, even if it is just to pet a dog for a few minutes,” Duman said.
Dog therapy reminds people to relax, breathe, and appreciate the happiness that surrounds people’s everyday lives. The laughter and joy that dogs bring people is indescribable and inspire people to take a step back and look at the little things in life that make people happy.
