LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — The Nazareth Student Center at Marywood University in Lackawanna County was filled with canine energy, but what these pups are really serving up is stress relief.
"Oh, absolutely! With all the crazy finals stuff going on, it's just so nice to be with puppies!" said sophomore Madi Grose.
The dogs' assignment was to ease the stress of approaching final exams.
"Well, Madi called us and said there were dogs. I looked at Gabby and said, 'We need this, we need this,'" said sophomore Rachel Rodriguez.
Dog lovers know all about a pup's natural ability to lift spirits, but these dogs are actually trained stress relievers. They are therapy dogs, and their owners are part of a volunteer group called Compassionate Canines.
"We find it's very good for stress management. The facilities and people that we visit really enjoy it and look forward to it. One of the students here just pulled up a picture of my dog, Kylo, from October of 2023. So, they really look forward to it," said Christine DeSousa from Compassionate Canines.
The dogs go all over—hospitals, nursing homes, schools. They like the college crowd for a specific reason.
"This crew, I feel like, they leave their dogs at home. And when they come here, they get really excited because it reminds them of their pets. We'll hear a lot of stories from the students here about their pets. I think that while we're here, the act of petting and engaging helps soothe them," DeSousa said.
Marywood would typically only host these events at the end of a semester but recently started bringing in the therapy dogs once a month.
"I lost my dog a couple of years ago around Christmastime," said junior M.J. Haynes. "A couple months after, they had therapy dogs here and it was just so nice to be able to be with dogs again. They're also excited about it too. That makes it even better."
The therapy sessions certainly seem mutually beneficial.
"It's been a crazy semester," Haynes added. "I have a couple of tough finals next week, so this is just really nice to hang out with a bunch of dogs that want to be pet."