Why every school should have a puppy sanctuary on campus

Who doesn’t love to cuddle a puppy or kitten?

It’s finals week of Winter Quarter — stress levels are exponentially increasing as college students go down their to-do list and realize they practically have to become automated machines to finish the quarter off strong. The 15-page research paper is not going to write itself, students won’t automatically re-learn the entire course material needed for three finals, and the four hundred-page-book is not going to read itself. “It’ll be okay,” they remind themselves.

That’s true — it will be okay. However, the mental, physical, and emotional detriments your body will have to endure is nothing short of torturous. Because of everything from social stressors to procrastination, college students are showing greater levels of sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, and stress.

At 18, college students experience a completely new world of freedom and fun, and this often takes away from academic success at the university level. My point isn’t to criticize those who go out and party every Thirsty Thursday, nor is it to break down all the possible ways to cope with high stress levels. I merely want to suggest — to UCLA and every university in the US — that you create animal sanctuaries to help students alleviate stress.

This idea didn’t just pop into my mind one day — an array of personal experiences has led me to this conclusion. I attend the University of California, Los Angeles, a prestigious university that effortlessly produces Nobel laureates, prominent individuals in the world of academia, famous television producers, and everyone’s friend, Tom Anderson, the creator of MySpace. Needless to say, a university with such a level of grandeur is bound to propagate competition, and consequently, high levels of stress.

Fortunately for UCLA’s 43,000 students, the university has an array of programs to deal with the high levels of stress on campus. During 10th week and finals week at UCLA, “Stressbusters and Night Libraries” has a program known as “Fluffy Friends for Finals.” This program works alongside UCLA People-Animal Connection, a part of UCLA Health, where students can take a break from studying and say hello to sweet, loving, furry creatures for a couple of hours.

Personally, this program has been the most helpful stress-reducing method I’ve used to cope during finals week — so much so that the following day I adopted a Maltese-Poodle mix puppy. (Disclaimer: I am not encouraging busy college students to adopt a puppy – dog ownership is a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly.)

Studies show that interaction with animals considerably reduces stress levels, and dog owners are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than those without pets. Who’s to say having an animal sanctuary won’t have the same effect on college students suffering from depression and anxiety?

Universities would benefit by creating animal sanctuaries where students can go visit animals any time of year to alleviate their stress. There’s no better way for a school to spend its money than on something that will produce on-campus jobs for students, relieve stress levels (thereby improving mental health on campus), and provide a home to the estimated 70 million stray cats and dogs who would otherwise be euthanized.

In a perfect world, I would be able to walk to the UCLA animal sanctuary after class and play with puppies and kittens as a way to calm my homework-induced anxieties — and I’m confident other students feel the same.

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