Student's Best Friend - Meet Roscoe!
“Whoever declared that love at first sight doesn’t exist has never witnessed the purity of a puppy or looked deep into a puppy’s eyes. If they did, their lives would change considerably.”-— Elizabeth Parker
When it starts to get to the end of the semester and finals and midterms is on its way, students will start to feel stressed and unsure about how they’ll do, and sometimes the best way to fight the midterm and finals depressions is none other than hanging out with shelter animals. From an article written by the Humane Society of the United States, “…a 2015 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that people who both worked and volunteered actually had better mental health and fewer feelings of work-life conflict.” Most surprising of all, a 2012 study published in Psychological Science found that “spending time on others increases one’s sense of time affluence … driven by a boosted sense of self-efficacy.”
I know that if you go to the Red Desert Humane Society that’s out north on Yellowstone Road, the shelter usually has a large number of dogs and cats that are just in need of some love and attention. During the Covid-19 lockdown, many animals were adopted to help combat the feeling of loneliness, bringing these people a sense of joy. We got Roscoe, my oldest dog, right before the world went into lockdown. Having our puppy there helped with my anxiety and stress. Roscoe helped my entire family as we did schoolwork in different parts of the house.
If you can’t afford to have a dog of your own, go down to the Red Desert Humane Society and spend time with one of their pets, because not only would it help the staff members out, but it will also help you feel better in the long run. If you are wanting to adopt a pet, make sure that the animal will work in the space you’re living in and that they’re comfortable with you, and you will be there for one another, even though you’ll mainly be there for the pet.
