Bemidji State Hosts ‘De-Stress with Pets’ Event During Finals

For more than a decade, Bemidji State has held a bi-annual “De-stress With Pets” event during finals time to give their student a few hours to wind down and visit with support dogs and cats, and this year’s event took place earlier today.

Kittens from Great River Rescue as well as support dogs from the Paul Bunyan Dog Training Association filled the Beaux Arts Ballroom at BSU to give hundreds of students peace of mind and a break from studying. The event is put on by the “It’s On Us” organization that has an emphasis on student mental health on campus. Several other mental health organizations were also set up among the animals to offer students ongoing resources after the “De-Stress With Pets” finished.

“If you have uncontrolled stress, it can lead to mental health conditions over time unless treated.” said Bemidji State University Health Education Coordinator Jay Passa, “So “De-Stress with Pets” is one of our most popular events throughout the year. The data we collected identified that on average it reduces a student stress by about two points out of a 1 to 10 scale. And it doesn’t matter how long they’re around the animals, how much time they spend here is just being with the animals reduces the stress level.”

Dogs are always present at the event…but having cats there does not happen every year. This year, four kittens from Bemidji’s Great River Rescue made an appearance. And they are all available for adoption…not only giving students an hour of fun…but potentially several years worth.