Student Health Services helped students relieve their end of the semester stress with a Pet-a-Pup event outside of the Thomas Cooper Library on Tuesday as part of a string of de-stress events provided by USC during the week before finals. The event aimed to relieve students’ stress and was free to students, faculty and staff.
Service dog trainer Nick Borsellino works with the 12-week-old puppies that are currently training to be service dogs. The animals are associated with Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services, or PAALS, an organization that works with those with physical disabilities by providing trained animal services. Borsellino highlighted the effects that the program can have on students who will soon be taking their exams.
“We’re just bringing puppies or dogs that are in our program training here for the kids to pet and just love on in the hopes that they’ll relieve some stress and do better on their exams.”
First-year nursing student Hannah Shelley points to the calming effects that the pet a pup program provides.
“I came out here and saw the puppy and she just made me so happy. She made me forget about all that I have to do.”
Michael Crowley, the program coordinator for Student Health Services, emphasized the positive effects that the puppies were having on the students.
“If you just stand around and watch, the students just light up, become a kid again, really helps them kind of combat some of that homesickness.”
USC will continue the de-stress events with Wind Down Wednesday, which focuses on mindfulness, and Stress Less for Success De-Stress Fest in Russell House, which will offer stress management activities and a free hot chocolate bar.