Clarke Students Destress with Puppy Love

Finals week is stressful for students. This year, Clarke University decided to gather some stressed-out students to ask questions about their anxiety level and how they manage the pressure during final exam week. For Clarke seniors, final exam week also coincides with their senior capstone projects.

The surprise? Students thought they were talking about finals week and offering advice to incoming students on how to best study and prepare for exams.

After the question and answer session, helpers in Santa hats delivered a wiggling litter of Teddy Bear puppies decked out in tiny Christmas sweaters for the students to cuddle and play with. The results were priceless. And, as predicted, stress levels plummeted.

See what happened when stressed out students meet a litter of Teddy Bear puppies. 

“It was the best surprise!” shared junior Makala Rael. “I had no idea what to expect, but to be handed a brand new fluffy, cuddling puppy in a sweater brought me to  tears. Holding that little dog made me think, there is more to life than worrying about finals. I feel like I can face any exam now!”

Congratulations to all our students for making it through finals week.

A special thank you to Clarke friend Kari Bonnet and her daughter, Lily, of East Dubuque, for generously offering their puppies, and thank you to the Clarke students who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in this surprise project.

Clarke University also offers regular Pet Therapy sessions on campus in which faculty and staff bring a pet, usually a dog or cat, to campus on a designated day and time for students to spend time with the animal. “I love Pet Therapy,” said senior Jamie Deering. “It makes me miss my dog at home less and gives me a chance to get some canine cuddles.”

In addition to Pet Therapy, Clarke hosts an annual Bring Your Pet to Work  picnic event for faculty and staff. Clarke’s campus is also therapy-pet friendly for students who live or work with therapy animals.

For more information, contact the Marketing & Communication Office at (563)588-6318.