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Don LeBlanc, the organization’s team leader in Halifax, said a variety of breeds would be brought in between Dec. 4-6 for the students to play with, including a Labradoodle, a Sheltie, a Papillon and a Golden Retriever.

Once word got out that Dalhousie would be hosting a few furry guests to give students a break from dog-eared pages, other schools began to express interest as well.

It’s really snowballed

“It’s not an event that we [in Halifax] have ever done before, but it sounded feasible to me. We had teams that were willing to come in. We went ahead, and the next thing you know, it’s really snowballed,” he said. “The national office has received requests from over a half-a-dozen universities, even in the last 24 hours, to do something similar.”

Mr. Le Blanc said he was happy to see more organizations consider pet therapy.

“If you do any research at all about the benefits of using pets, you’ll find out quite quickly that it lowers blood pressure,” he said. “It certainly made a huge difference in my life when I got a dog.”

Dianne Chesebrough, the organization’s Hamilton team leader, said some students reported waiting for an hour to meet the dogs when they visited McMaster University last week.

“Some of the students are away from home. they remember their pets and they watch their pets get old. It’s a constant reminder that they’re away from home, lonesome and in a stressful time of their life,” she said.

The organization didn’t rule out the possibility of a more regular presence on campuses, she added. The students seemed to enjoy meeting the veteran whippet and the highly qualified service dog named Tango.

“My Lucy is a little white fluff ball clown who likes to do yoga. That always amuses the students,” she said. “They’re real people connectors is what they are.”

National Post

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