Puppy rooms are a great way to help improve a students’ day to day life. Having puppy rooms for students to visit has been shown to help with mental and physical health. These rooms can be used to help a student cope after a tragedy, or even just helping with homesickness. They also have been shown to increase scores on exams. Many schools are studying the effects of puppy rooms in colleges, and most, if not all, are getting back some amazing results.

Some people may argue that puppy rooms, may just be a distraction for students, or an excuse to play with dogs. Although some students may use the puppy rooms as a place to go to avoid studying, puppy rooms have been tested in many schools around the world. These schools are finding that, spending just a few minutes a day with a dog, can be wonderful for your mental and physical health. According to www.dogtime.com Studies have shown that pets can alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, decrease levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and provide some real benefits for university. I can’t think of a better way to de-stress before a big test, than playing with a puppy. Colleges are always looking for ways to help students with their physical and mental health, and this may just be a great way to do both at once. Audrey Giles, a Human Kinetics professor at the University of Ottawa states, “Just petting a dog will decrease your blood pressure and relieve anxiety.”

Many college students come from all over the country, most leaving family, friends, and sometimes their beloved pets behind. When starting at a new school, everything can seem pretty intimidating, and frightening. Just having a place like a puppy room, for students to go to have something to hold and cuddle, could dramatically decrease the fear and sadness someone may feel when in a new place. That’s why Kathleen Adamle, a nursing professor at Kent State, hopes to garner a grant so she can conduct research as part of her “Dogs on Campus” program. She has plenty of anecdotal evidence that her program works. As soon as there’s a tragedy on campus, like a student dying in a car wreck, for example, dorms scramble to book the dog team to help comfort upset students, she says.

Did you know that puppy rooms can also help you concentrate, and ultimately help you get a better score on exams? According to www.earthporm.com, a Japanese study found that people scored higher on tests if they spent time hanging out with puppies or kittens before taking an exam. In fact, people scored as much as 44% higher thanks to their interactions with furry friends. So it is no surprise that, schools who have puppy rooms, see a large increase in signups during exam weeks.

Puppy rooms are found in schools all around the world, from Harvard University U.S.A, to University of Central Lancashire in the U.K. Can you imagine a better way to de-stress before a big exam like petting and cuddling these little balls of fur? I know I can’t. If the students at universities like Harvard and Yale can benefit from puppy rooms, don’t you think our students could benefit from some puppy snuggles? Even if some students would use the puppy room as a distraction, just being around a dog can do great things for their mental and physical health. This is why, having a puppy room would help with our students’ daily lives.