Two faculty pets greeted about 100 students on Monday on the second floor of Ernie Pyle Hall for ‘Puppy Love Day,’ the kickoff of College Care Week.

The event, hosted by the Walter Center for Career Achievement with pets provided by the College of Arts and Sciences faculty, brought students together with animals to help relieve stress during finals week. Studies show that interacting with animals can significantly reduce anxiety and stress while enhancing positive mood and perceived social support among college students.

Furry dogs and cats filled the hallway as students moved through the space to pet, play and pause between study sessions. Organizers estimated roughly 100 students attended the event on Monday, the first day of College Care Week. It’s important to note that 89% of college students report experiencing stress during finals, often feeling overwhelmed by academic pressures.

Two dogs were the center of attention: Calliope, a four-year-old corgi who knows tricks including how to roll over, spin and shake; and Janny, a labradoodle described as holding a soggy carrot toy in her jaws. Students circled the pair, offering scratches and brief breaks from studying. These moments serve a critical function in student well-being as schools across the U.S. increasingly incorporate pet therapy into wellness programs to mitigate stress and anxiety.

“I’ve come to the last two puppy events, I think. It’s just nice to be able to pet an animal,” said Olivia McCallister, a 20-year-old sophomore biology major at Indiana University, reflecting a common reason students stopped by. The power of such stress relief activities cannot be overstated, as many students cite them as effective in improving their academic performance.

College staff also made the rounds. “At the end of the day, our faculty and staff at the College are humans that are thinking about (students) and wanting to show that they are thinking about them and caring for them, and trying to put that into action somehow,” said Tanner Tarrell, senior director of operations and strategy at the Walter Center for Career Achievement.

Carolyn Blank, associate director of advising for first year programs and initiatives, described a similar impulse outside the event: “Even during the school year, I try to walk her around campus because people get out of their zones when they see her and they give her a big smile, like it’s just immediate happy smiles that you see.” Lilly Reed, Associate Director of Recruiting for the College of Arts and Sciences, said she enjoys meeting many different students and reminding them that academic effort does not require perfection.

Organizers designed the activity as a low-pressure way for students to decompress between study sessions and to connect with campus staff in an informal setting. The Walter Center for Career Achievement staged the activities as part of a week of programming aimed at helping students recharge before finals.

IU’s News coverage of College Care Week noted the series of events and resources available to students across the week; the Puppy Love Day session served as a visible, social component of that schedule. The College of Arts and Sciences provided the animals for the event and staff participated throughout the day to greet students and manage interactions.

For many attendees, the appeal was immediate: a few minutes with a well-known pet, a short conversation with an adviser or recruiter, and the chance to step away from textbooks. Organizers said these moments are part of broader efforts to support student well-being as academic pressure peaks, particularly during finals week.

College Care Week continued after Monday with additional programming hosted by the Walter Center for Career Achievement; Puppy Love Day represented the social and tactile element of the kickoff designed to give students a pause during a demanding time on campus.

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Original reporting: view the original article.