"As an academic content provider, EBSCO Information Services, (EBSCO) located in Ipswich, Massachusetts decided to fund the #EBSCOStandByMe project because it has seen the benefits of this dog therapy. EBSCO Strategic Projects Coordinator Janna Charette brought dogs from Service Dog Project to EBSCO last year. She says the response was overwhelming. 'When we saw the immediate impact these dogs had in a business environment, it was easy to see that we could bring this program to our library customers and their users.' EBSCO also understands the role it plays in finals week for students around the world. The search system and research databases students use to complete their research papers receive some of their highest usage during the end of the semester."
"We've Gone to the Dogs . . .to Help College Students Battle Academic Stress" EBSCO
"College counseling centers and student life organizations have documented the benefits of bringing therapy dogs to help college students during exam week. The physical benefits of pet therapy can counteract the effects of stress, including normalizing of heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the level of the stress hormone cortisol, and an increase in the hormone oxytocin which is associated with anti-anxiety effects.
Therapy dog programs for stress relief are becoming increasingly popular in libraries and on college campuses across the United States and Massachusetts schools are no exception. Colleges such as Harvard have dogs that students can check out for 30 minutes."
"Letting the Dogs in to Battle the Stress of Finals" EBSCO
"Research investigating the effects of human–animal interactions (HAI) on physiological measures of wellbeing often demonstrates positive results. Increases in oxytocin production and decreases in cortisol levels, blood pressure, and galvanic skin measurements all point to a clear relationship between HAI and the reduction of stress and anxiety in humans. In this respect, animals may act as social buffers to the impact of psychosocial stress, by ameliorating its impact in humans, as well as providing a wider therapeutic role in human wellbeing [15,16]. It also appears that this may be a two-way interaction with mutual benefits in both dogs and humans [17]."
Brelsford, Victoria L. et al. “Animal-Assisted Interventions in the Classroom—A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 14, no. 7, 2017, p. 669, tinyurl.com/yaqx6oju. Accessed 17 July 2018.