Also that evening she had work, cheerleading practice and her sister was visiting from out of province and wanted to see the town.
A cuddle with a miniature pincher named Nutmeg instantly helped Reid feel better about her tasks.
“When there’s really tiny dogs, it makes you think it makes your stress is so miniscule,” she said. “My stress is nothing compared to the cuteness of these puppies.”
Reid was among 50 students who dropped in and out of the Holland College library during the recent visit by the Caring Canines therapy dog program. Six dogs, ranging from miniature pinchers that are smaller than a basketball, to a Shiloh shepherd weighing almost 100 pounds, visited the school.
Caring Canines is a non-profit organization where therapy dog owners volunteer their animals to visit schools and other facilities to help relieve stress.
June Harper, a guidance counsellor at Holland College, says students are experiencing more stress because of exams and missed time due to storm days.
But stress isn’t always a bad thing, she said.
“Stress is good. We would not be able to function or protect ourselves without some level of stress, but high levels of stress can have an impact on sleep, concentration, eating, studying, attendance, mood and our mental health.”
While having dogs visit the college is beneficial to all, it is also especially beneficial to students with pets at home, she said.
“Any of the students (who) have to leave their pets at home and they miss them, having puppies visit the college also helps with the separation from their pets at home.”
Katy Barnes is the vice-president of the student union. Her dog died a month ago, but seeing and snuggling with canines at school made her day better.
“Seeing other dogs made me really happy and miss him (her dog) a lot.”
Students experiencing high levels of stress have access to counseling services, referrals to the student assistant program, Aspiria, (a Canadian-owned mental health company) and private and community resources.
