LRC holds second PAWS & PLAY session

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) held its second PAWS & PLAY session with the LRC Corgi Squad for the benefit of around 80 students and staff on April 7, 2025, at the LRC Main Office. 

PAWS & PLAY, which is part of LRC’s Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) activities, aims to provide an avenue for students to de-stress and enjoy by interacting with the puppies. 

Research has found that pet therapy activities reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and build communication and socialization skills in the participants. 

These sessions also serve as regular training for the puppies to become more docile, sociable, and used to interaction. 

Participants were grouped into three batches to avoid overcrowding. Strict health protocols were implemented to ensure the safety of the participants and puppies, such as removing footwear and disinfecting hands before and after the session. All puppies had received complete vaccination before the session. 

A big playpen was placed in the center of the office, with the puppies and their handlers in the middle. Their mother, LRC Fur Staff Bobbi, also interacted with the students. After their session, the participants were given free stickers and candies.

According to BS Economics student, Carlos Joaquin Enriquez, “It was a fulfilling experience for a dog-lover like me who’s far away from my own pets in the province, a much-needed breather from the academic stress students are experiencing.”

The first participants of PAWS & PLAY were children from the Child Development Laboratory (CDL) of the College of Human Ecology (CHE), accompanied by their faculty-in-charge and parents. They played with the puppies and learned their unique features, as well as, pet care. 

LRC and the Office of Counseling and Guidance of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA-OCG) met with the CDL faculty on April 4 to discuss potential Animal-Assisted Intervention activities with the CDL students. 

The Center is scheduled to conduct another PAWS & PLAY session in May, this time with the five new puppies of Guest PAWtners Zuko and Katara of the Glacial Fire Samoyeds. This will be their first public appearance after their birth last February.