Some people say that dogs are man's best friend – good companions, loyal and loveable. Of course, they can be more than just a pet as certain breeds are excellent working dogs too. We know about the amazing help guide dogs give to blind people and, more recently, a new role has been found for the animals – working as therapy dogs in universities.

 

Research by Washington State University in the US, has found spending time with a pooch can help stressed out students. Patricia Pendry from the university told the BBC that a study of 300 undergraduates had found weekly hour-long sessions with dogs brought to the university by professional handlers had made stressed students at "high risk of academic failure" or dropping out, "feel relaxed and accepted". The dogs helped them to concentrate, learn and remember information.

 

I know that stroking a dog helps me to relax; other research has shown that petting animals can reduce stress hormone¹ levels and anxiety, so it makes sense to introduce them into an environment where people are stressed. The BBC's education correspondent Sean Coughlan writes that around 1,000 campuses in the US already use therapy pets and it's becoming more common in the UK. For example, The University of Middlesex has employed 'canine² teaching assistants' to help stop lonely students dropping out. Fiona Suthers, head of clinical skills at the university, says that five Labradors had a "stringent³ assessment⁴" to ensure they had the right temperament⁵. But she adds "it's hard to describe the impact of just having a dog lying down in the corner of a class."

 

Using dogs for therapy can also help the dogs themselves. In Wales, Swansea University Students' Union has used rescued greyhounds to help students unwind between exams. Sessions allow mistreated and abandoned dogs to interact with humans and begin to trust them again. Student Union education officer Chloe Hutchinson told the BBC that "a lot of students have dogs at home and might be a bit homesick, especially around exam time when it is stressful and you just want your home comforts." So if you're a student who's been working like a dog, but you still feel like you haven't a dog's chance in passing your exams, maybe introducing a four-legged friend into your life might be the help you need.

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