BEMIDJI 鈥� As temperatures plummeted outside, students at Bemidji State University were able to warm up with furry friends during the De-Stress with Pets event held on Tuesday in the Beaux Arts Ballroom.
The event, held at Hobson Memorial Union featured service animals from Great River Rescue and Paul Bunyan Dog Training Association with pets available for adoption.
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Free to the public, the event also served as a way to gather community resources for mental health services as finals, the holidays and winter weather bog down the mental health of many.
And after 10 years of De-Stress with Pets, BSU can point to data that proves it is a de-stressor as students report feeling a weight lifted from their shoulders after attending.
This data is collected through provided surveys students could voluntarily fill out. Survey data suggests people spend around 15 minutes with pets and see their stress reduced by three points during De-Stress with Pets.
De-Stress with Pets is an annual semester event thus meaning that students will continue to benefit from it as more data is continually collected to ensure each semester ends as stress-free as possible.
