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Pre-finals stress relief: hanging with the hounds

It’s a USC tradition: Puppies visit campus just before the start of finals to help alleviate stress

December 08, 2014 David Medzerian, Nicole DeRuiter

Students playing with puppies
Monday’s study break outside Leavey Library provided playtime for pups and students. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)

They’re the ultimate study aids: playful puppies who come to campus to help relieve the stress of looming finals.

In what has become a USC tradition, pups and therapy dogs visit the University Park Campus in the days before finals. With exams starting Wednesday, several pups brought their stress-relieving skills to Leavey Library on Monday. (They stayed outside: The pups are surely not housebroken.)

Students were encouraged to put their worries aside for a few minutes and play with the pups. The dogs — each about 3- to 6-months-old — are from a kennel in Torrance and put on quite a show during their Monday visit.

Tuesday’s study break outside Leavey, from noon to 5 p.m., will feature therapy dogs.

The study breaks are sponsored by the Engemann Student Health Center, USC Libraries, and the undergraduate and graduate student governments.

Pup nibbling on a snack
Snack time for one of the volunteers who came to campus on Monday. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)