The law library at the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law will sponsor visits from therapy animals to relieve student stress at finals time.
Throughout reading week and finals, students can schedule appointments to socialize with one of several therapy dogs. There will also be one therapy horse available for appointments as well. Meetings with dogs will take place in the law library’s large study rooms, and meetings with the horse will be across the street at MacArthur Park.
“Our hope is that the animals will provide a short, welcome relief from the stress of studying for finals,” said June Stewart, associate dean of information services and library director.
The idea for the event came from an American Association of Law Librarians conference in California a few years ago, Stewart said. During the conference, she learned that Yale Law School, the University of San Francisco School of Law, Harvard Medical School, and many others had been sponsoring student-animal interactions to relieve stress during finals.
“I came back and decided that it was a great idea — a no brainer,” Stewart said. “It’s a new thing, but I think it has been very well received so far.”
The horse and all of the dogs are registered therapy animals provided by Pet Partners. The event services will be provided at no cost to the students or the university.
