Students, dogs and a whole lot of fun on campus

Each week, Martin Luther University College’s chapel is bustling with students playing with excited dogs of all sizes.  

Chilling with Dogs is an opportunity for Luther and Laurier students to play with a variety of dogs each week along with toys, treats and belly rubs. 

This week calls for an extra special session of Chilling with Dogs, with Laurier's Thrive week on campus, where students are encouraged to come out and see what this fun is all about, with wellness at top of mind. 

Kristine Lund, principal dean at Luther, started the initiative in 2012, and is a doggy play-time expert. 

“Chilling with Dogs is a space where students come to interact with these pets,” said Lund. “They are not trained therapy dogs or service dogs but simply dogs that are well socialized with people and other dogs.” 

The dogs are free to move around amongst the students for the hour-long session each week and students are free to come and go as they please. Some stay for five minutes while others stay the full hour, depending on their preference. 

Lund is always pleased to see how the room lights up with laughter and play as students filter into the space and see the dogs, whether it’s their first time or their tenth time coming.

“Initially it was started because we were hearing that students were missing their dogs, actually more than they were missing their parents, because they can talk to their parents on the phone,” said Lund. “But they can’t engage with their pets while they are away at school.” 

This brought forth the question of what kind of support such an initiative could really provide to students and their stresses. 

Early research on effects of human and pet relationships of this sort was done within the medical community, starting as early as 1980, with results indicating that some stress-related diseases could in fact see more positive results among pet owners.  

“That led me to wonder about what it could do for students since stresses can run high, both because of academic and life pressures,” said Lund. “They can have challenges with relationships, with roommates, with economic hurdles and more.” 

Lund initially conducted a qualitative study that had students report how they felt when they came in to see the dogs and how they felt when they left.  

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive! 

“If they came in feeling tired, anxious, depressed or stressed, they all seemed to leave feeling calmer, happier and in some cases more motivated to do their assignments.” 

Lund saw this unfold first-hand as students came out to play with dogs each week. 

“This all becomes very apparent when you’re in the room with the students as they come in and drop their backpacks and sit on the floor and they start to play with the animals,” said Lund. “All of a sudden, the energy in the room starts to build as they laugh and play with the dogs.” 

In feedback from students, they mentioned interacting with the dogs was simply a helpful distraction. Chilling with dogs carries on through exam time. Sometimes students come by after an exam feeling they may not have performed as well as they wanted, but they appreciated the distraction, and they would leave feeling better. 

“Sometimes we downplay that it’s only a dog and I think, more and more, we’re recognizing relationships with nature and with animals is impactful on who we are as humans, which needs to be considered seriously,” explained Lund. 

For the many years that this initiative has been running, it’s been an overall fun experience for everyone involved. 

“Everyone is here to have a good time, whether it’s the students, the volunteers who bring their dogs, or the dogs themselves,” said Lund. “We’re happy to see the students enjoy themselves and welcome newcomers each week who discover that there’s a dog waiting for them to come out and play.” 

The impact such an initiative has on students is well worth it for the university. 

“It’s a really easy intervention to support student wellness and we’re excited to have our students back each week,” said Lund. “With Thrive week going on, it’s the perfect opportunity for students across Laurier and Luther’s campus to discover our dogs!”