FARMINGTON – As college students everywhere begin cramming for end of semester deadlines and exams, The University of Maine at Farmington has taken on a new approach to help lower stress levels on campus.
Seven gold retriever puppies visited the Olsen Student Center Wednesday morning, supporting hundreds of students with their easy going puppy demeanor.
“It’s just what I needed. You can’t beat puppies,” freshman James Pelletier said.
Others agreed, voicing their stress over “crunch time,” and the relaxed environment the puppies provided. The idea was presented to UMF by 2015 graduate Kelly Bean, who owns the therapy-trained mother. The puppies just happen to be at a perfect age for the end of the semester, and Bean was happy for them to gain the social exposure.
Students formed a line that trailed far out the door, waiting for their turn to sit in a large circle and enjoy the company of the fluffy, slobbering therapists. The puppies flopped from student to student- licking faces, wagging tails and just generally being adorable tiny dogs to the amusement of the students.
“I think everybody’s stress levels go up around this time. If you have procrastinated, or have papers and projects due…everyone needs some good stress relief not only while they are here but when they go home and can recall the way the puppies made them feel,” Campus health center RN Lisa Lisius said.
The “puppy party” was planned and sponsored by the UMF Health Center.
What a waste of money, what will they do when they get out in the real world.
Lower stress would be found in the confidence that one gets from having studied and knowing the answers, not patting puppies.
candy, I think puppies will do fine in the real world. :-)
What a win-win situation! The only loser is Candy.
Wow… Life does get stressful at times… Will they take a puppy to work with them when the get out into the cruel world?
They may Glen, try to pass a puppy off as a therapy dog and bring it to work and the store…seems to be a growing trend. they may find a puppy to be more stressful if they owned one.
Come on folks, yes, these students are young adults.. 18 yr olds many away from home for the first time. Finals, the holidays, projects are generally more stressful for those who have great study skills because they put so much pressure on themselves to perform well. The others do what they need to do to skate through and stress isn’t the problem.
Now can I also remind you all of what it was like to be that late teen age year of age just hitting the “grown up ” adult hood age of 18, 19 and 20.. the family dog or cat that you grew up with at home and you are away.. so when you hear that someone has brought some puppies in so you can get a fido fix and relax a few minutes.. cause in the middle of all the stuff at school, you’d really like to have some time with your dog and that is still a few days off…
And how many of you who have written in here as adults who are making sarcastic comments about kids who are weak in character… have your dogs at your feet or beside you on your couch? Your cat in your lap?
Well said, France’s!
Thanks Frances… I guess if I were 18 again an being called into the military I would take my puppy or kitten with me.. It would have been also nice if fido could have gone to sea with me… Those were stressful times… I had never been away from home at that time. Our leaders kept us busy, even on Sundays…. By the way I am a doggie lover and have one that runs away from home every day to visit me..
Frances, yes they are legally adults but any that need to pat a dog (likely in a safe space) to get through a test probably should have cuddled with mommy a bit longer. The real world isn’t filled only with puppies and butterflies.
Thank you Frances, everything you said was spot on.
As soon as I saw the headline for this article I thought, “oh man, I can’t wait to hear the ignorant crap people have to say about this one. College is stressful folks, although many of you commenters probably don’t know that. Better the students take a break for a few minutes and unwind with some animals than unwind at a bar or with a pipe in their mouth, wouldn’t ya say?
Get off your high horses and just take comfort in the fact that there is still some positive news to be shared in the world.
When I was 18, I too was given a full time companion. It wasn’t fluffy, but it was my constant companion and occasionally slept with me. I never gave a name to my companion, it was given one by the government. It was called an M1 Garand. I fear that we are raising a pretty soft generation.
Why must we attack when something nice happens? Let’s take a step back and look at what many contributors are saying: I want to insult, hurt, make fun of a group of people or an activity, rather than let someone enjoy the moment.
Does it make the contributors feel better when they insult an activity? The people participating? The puppies?
Considering the many, many destructive options used to handle stress, isn’t a few minutes with a puppy not only a fun event, but a good way to sit back and chill with friends for a few minutes?
Seriously? Finding fault with puppies and animal therapy of any kind? What’s next, attacking baking cookies for Santa? No more apples for Rudolf? Bah, humbug to you!
As far as puppies go….keep them coming!
Gee, a nice little activity that is a win – win and people get grumpy. “The real world doesn’t have puppy dogs, when I was 18 we had to disembowel bulls and eat the heart raw, and we liked it!” What pettiness. I’m sure most of the students in that picture will go on and have strong careers, making good money and handling stress just fine. And maybe they’ll have a fun memory from college when they played with some puppies during finals week. Maybe it’s OK to accept that these things are fine and good.
SO SO Right Candy. Let’s just hand them a bottle of Smirnoff or a packet of something from the local dealer. Much healthier for them – and just let the darn puppies stay at home and sleep.
Times sure have changed. When i was in college 35 years ago i played intramural sports, listened to rock
and roll music (loudly) and drank beer with friends, and occassionally played astroids or galaga video games
to reduce my stress. I remember many a weekend of long conversations with friends. Did anyone else notice
that everyone in these pictures had a smart phone in their hands? Wow, times have changed!!! I agree that
we may be coddling our youth too much. i hope the professors are teaching these kids that life in the world
is very stressful. As an employer, i am very worried about the future of the workplace. Not too many months
ago i interviewed a young man to work at my mill. He had recently graduated with an associate degree in
business from a nearby community college. He gave me a nice resume and spoke well, but the interview
went south when he aksed if i would allow him to work from 8am – 4pm. The hours at my mill are 6am-2:30.
He didn’t like those hours and tried hard to negotiate better hours for himself. I didn’t hire him!!
I can’t get over how some people eye the college to look down on everything they do. I wish the students, staff, and the institution itself well.
What a bunch of grumps here! Can’t something nice happen for once without people getting all bent out of shape and uppity? I hope you don’t fall out of your tower!
Collage was way more stressful than life after collage. Life after provides steady work that you actually get paid for. Great idea for boosting community health during this crunch time, this the time when I always got sick. Ignore the haters. Shame on their petty party. Some people will just never be happy unless everyone just like them eating gruel in a cold dark and damp gray room listening/indoctrinated to talk radio. #kittensandpuppies
What’s wrong with gruel?
At Glen, Look how many stories we hear and see on the news about the troops who were deployed to Iraq and got “adopted by a local stray” and how hard many of those soldiers have worked to bring their adopted dogs home after they’ve come back. Seen that on the news many times.
To the rest of the disgruntled…whenever there is something positive written in this paper, it seems the negativity patrol can’t wait to get on and do the South Park “rabble rabble rabble” about how ridiculous or wasteful it is unless maybe it isn’t coming your way… in your favor???? Do you ever find anything in life joyful? Or do you find your joy in constantly being Scrooge.
To all the critics: Pick your battles more carefully.
Sorry Sam, but I’m dining on shrimp and tenderloin, listening to Grateful Dead. Didn’t see that coming did ya?
I know that the whole puppy thing sounds like something real stupid to waste money on. I would just ask that you remind yourself that not only is this good for the students but it is great for the puppies. In fact, I would say this is more beneficial for their getting socialized and being around a lot of people and not letting it jump them then it is for the stress of the students.
My son has just gone through his first semester in college, and he wanted to play with the puppies, however he had class. Besides, he is lucky and home is less than 15 miles away and he can come home to see his dogs when ever he wants. Also, he has two friends that come to visit with him all the time and they both have dogs at their houses that they miss and being able to visit with ours has helped them both with being away from home.
My son has another friend who enlisted with the Army and left very shortly after graduation in June. He talks with him and one of the things the Private misses the most, is his dog. If these dogs can give comfort to anyone in a time of need (i.e. physical, mental, or even emotional need) why shouldn’t they?
It really is a win-win for both the students and the puppies.
At Captain Planet, nobody cares guy. It was a good social gathering with plenty of face to face contact. The healthy kind where people say things to your face. A was good to have a sense of community on campus without relying on mood altering substances. The best perk was seeing unforced smiles, and puppies! They were SO cute. Some people just have black souls and only feel better when they feel like they brought someone down to their level. Tell you what, I have a spot on my leather couch in my private practice after I make it through graduate school. You can tell me more about why the world is such a stressful, unbearable place.
You must be really miserable if you can find something to complain about in an article about puppies. I find it hard to believe there are that many grinches out there. I guess they could use some stress relief too. Go hug a puppy!
How is this preparing students for the real world and how much did it cost the college to do this?
I am a cranky old man. For some reason, it makes me furious when young people do anything. Anything at all. I will complain and whine about these darn snowflakes and their darn snowflake dogs until I find something else to complain about. I can’t wait. Perhaps it will be two boys holding hands? A poor person buying Christmas candy for their children? Whatever it will be, I will be there to whine about it. Are you offended by this? Everyone is so easily offended these days.
I can’t believe I am saying this, but Nemitz is on point about this.
http://www.centralmaine.com/2017/12/10/bill-nemitz-cuddling-puppies-is-the-wrong-lesson-for-college-students/
Mike – we’re about the same age, my college experiences are much like yours (though I preferred pac man and donkey kong). I really don’t think we’re “coddling” young people. Indeed, I remember my college having a massage center for parts of finals week, counselors available to help people deal with finals week stress, and free hot chocolate and coffee in a community room. Dogs would have fit right in.
I agree that the key is to prepare them for what comes afterwards. Most do pretty well, and if they learn how to handle stress, then that’s something they take with them.
Phones are a symptom of the fact that in a hyper-materialist consumer era people find themselves challenged in ways that are different than 35 years ago. But still, when I look at students today they aren’t that much different than they were 35 years ago. Their taste in music isn’t as good (can’t seem to get them into Rush), and parents tend to be more hovering (which I think doesn’t help), but overall, I think most will be ready for the work world. Indeed most at UMF are working while studying – something I did too. It forces one to learn to handle stress and multiple demands.
It’s all Hillary and Obama’s fault
When I was their age I was hugging onto my buddy in a foxhole to keep from freezing to death and to slow the bleeding. Now I hug the good book when things get stressful. The words found within it come directly from the mouth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ almighty. I think the youth of this town could us a little Jesus in their lives.
Wow, people are upset by this event. Sure, it seems silly but when I was in College, about 30 years ago, my parents thought I was soft because I was tired after exams. I know that my Grandparents thought my parents were soft for not catching polio or dying of Bird Flue. Should I keep going back and back? The point is that the older generation usually has a cynical eye towards the younger generation because life is easier for the younger generation than it was for the older generation. I remember the Jay Leno joke about this. He always talked about how his dad had stories of how tough life was. Leno would then say “what will we tell our kids about the struggle? You know, you kids are lucky, when I was your age I had to get up off the couch to change the channel on the TV…” . He made a great point and lets just let the kids do what they are doing. No one is engaging in binge drinking or taking drugs. They are playing with puppies. All things considered, not a bad thing to do.
For some reason, as we get older, we seem to wish for young people to struggle with the challenges we had. I don’t because I remember what an older gentleman I worked with told me when I was 17. He and the older guys had just berated me about how in the good old days you knew who was who, which side was right etc. My friend pulled me aside and said “kid, I’ll be honest with you, the good old days were not really that great. Enjoy what you have”.
Lets let the kids enjoy what they have.
Amen Bob! I am a little concerned about the man hug part though.
It’s 2017 and Puppies are now a political issue. One side says yes and and the other says no but who will win? I want to know if kittens ever be taken seriously?
In other news…. People should be getting back to work, school, family, friends, holiday planning, caring about others, praying, or not praying, volunteering, donating, paying bills, applying for loans to pay said bills, buying mandated health insurance (open enrollment ends December 15), voting (November 3, 2020 is right around the corner) and being kind and polite to others no matter what their world views are BUT TROLLING AN ARTICLE ABOUT PUPPYS IS THE TOP PRIORITY AND NOTHING ELSE MATERS! More at 11, back to you all in the studio.
The serotonin and other stress reducing hormones released in the brain when we pet or cuddle cats, dogs, puppies or kittens are very beneficial–lowering blood pressure and heart rate and producing an overall sense of contentment and well-being. This event was low-stress, community building, and joyful. In other, words, a healthy alternative to partying with drugs and alcohol. Thank you to whomever planned this kind and cozy event.
Lets spend a bunch of tax dollars to see if standing in a line ‘out the door’ and a few moments of petting vs studying during that time actually generated higher grades.
LOL! Yeah, the shark has been jumped when people become anti-puppies. That’s a losing position for sure. Also, I don’t think military examples are a good counter. While it’s great the posters here handled the transition well, combat vets have the highest rate of homelessness, unemployment, domestic violence and divorce. The thing is, for those of us without stress issues it’s easy to say “they should just toughen up.” But the reality is that not just students but all through society anxiety, depression and stress are real problems that take away work time, harm families, and hit across the economic spectrum. Rather than decrying puppies (which did not cost tax dollars) perhaps people should be more accepting of the fact that many need help, be it stress reduction, counseling, or simply community support. Let’s be there for each other, rather than knocking each other down.
Yes, learning to handle stress is best but along with it comes not creating it. I put down the smart phone, dumped Facebook, got rid of credit cards and all but the basic of basic bills.
Puppies are great but they grow up and to own one takes an incredible amount of energy and they also create stress. Look on Craigslist and see all the dogs that have outgrown their puppy-ness and now are not wanted, or the shelters.
I see articles on here all the time about domestic assault or worse with much less outrage in the comment section.
Has anyone else noticed that the biggest Number of “crabbers” are male? What’s your problem? My Dad had a saying that I have grown to love in my old age, ” Let me tell you one more time, you mind your business and I’ll mind mine.”
“what will they do in the real world when they get stressed out????”
Dunno, probably go home and pet their dog which they can’t currently have because you can’t have dogs in dorms.
The truth is though that there’s a percentage of the population who resents the college students because they’re better off or perceived to be better off than a fair number of people in the Franklin county area. I have definitely felt resentful of friends who went to private high school or whose parents gave them money for a down payment on a house so it’s a feeling I think I can relate to. However it’s also a feeling we must fight in order to live happier and less bitter lives and for us to thrive economically. The college students are a tremendous resource in the town in terms of volunteering and as a young workforce after they graduate. The college is probably the single biggest economic driver for Farmington given the number of people it employs. Many students come from other parts of the state and from out of state which provides an injection into the local economy.
Wendy= :-)
Captain Planet= :-( good grades are not important when someone is so depressed they cant function, they hurt themselves or worse they end it. http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Kind
Scott Erb= :-)
billyjoebob= :-)
Trevor= :-)
Jeanne= :-)
Greg= :-)
Also… can we all please start a crowd-source campaign to raise the approximate $3-ish it cost the university to heat and light the room for 3-ish hours?
Had to pull this from the current front page @1:43pm and share… 43 comments for this article alone.
Recent News
Cancellations for Dec. 12: Libraries closing early, meetings rescheduled(0)
Update: Driver killed in Route 27 crash identified(6)
Strong woman pleads guilty to theft(6)
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office weekly report for Dec. 1 – 8.(0)
Farming Solar: ‘A different way to produce something’(8)
UMF students de-stress with floppy, fluffy puppies(43) <<<–<—-<——————————————
It’s always the same miserable crowd from the same side of the political spectrum. Never a good or kind word about anything. I” surprised that there were no bitter complaints about the “frivolity” of the Chester Greenwood festivities.These guys must be a hoot to be around at Christmas.