Feeling Stressed? Hug a Dog

Living in a fast-paced world life can be overwhelming at times. It is always good to pause and take a deep breath when feeling stressed. What better companion to take a deep breath with than a dog. Studies have actually shown that spending time with a furry friend can improve your psychological well-being and decrease your stress levels. As you might imagine life at the clinic can be a bit stressful at times (the computer system crashed and a crazy lady making a scene over a dog that she abandoned) so it is good that we have plenty of dogs and cats in the building that we can hug.

College campuses across the world have started a practice of bringing in dogs to popular areas such as the library during finals week. UNC Charlotte participates in this and I have noticed that it really does reduce the tension of sleep-deprived students that are worrying about their next test.

Last Monday I met the sweetest English Mastiff, Scooby at the clinic. Scooby came to Spay Neuter Charlotte to be fixed by his foster parent. His story is sad, but a common one of the dogs brought into our clinic. This huge dog was found by CMACC tied up to a box weighing 65 pounds, skin and bones. (A healthy English Mastiff usually weighs 160 – 230 pounds.) His original family eventually called for him, but when they were told they would have to pay a fine for animal cruelty they decided to give him up. Scooby was then taken in by his foster family and a month later now weighs at 110 pounds. You can tell by his picture above that this giant dog is a love bug. Scooby was adopted and got to go home with his new family on Tuesday.

-Alex, PR Intern