A couple of times throughout the semester, the Southern Miss Honors College works together to host what they call Puppy Day. To help students relieve stress, local shelter puppies are brought to the Honors House for a span of a few hours – to play and cuddle while they’re on campus. These puppies come from Southern Pines Animal Shelter and are available for adoption! Most of the time, there are also snacks for students to enjoy. Although organized by the Honors College, this event is open for all students, faculty, and staff.
The last Puppy Day of the 2019 fall semester took place on Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the House, those who come usually sit in a circle while the puppies are placed in the middle, able to run around and play. From my experience, they usually are very excited and hyper to begin with, wanting to see and play with everyone there. After an hour or so, they seem to wear themselves out, and then will let anyone cuddle and hold them. These puppies were no exception; they jumped and played for about half of the time, then slept and cuddled for the rest. My friends and I stayed there for most of the time, snacking and talking when we were not playing with a puppy.
Puppy Day is not the only furry friend related event that Honors College hosts to help students unwind. Occasionally, there will also be Kitten Day where kittens can have a chance to play just the same!
Overall, playing with cute animals is a great way to relieve stress and have a fun day at the Honors House. Especially before final exams, it is good to relax and have fun playing with some puppies in need of a home.
Through this event, many students and Emily Gruzinskas (an Honors College Staff member) have adopted animals with Southern Pines Animal Shelter.
Special thanks should go out to Sarah Stewart, who coordinates Puppy Day, and Southern Pines Animal Shelter for being a large part of these events – also special thanks to Stacey Ready, who works in Honors College, for helping me get information for this article. Puppy Day happens a few times a semester, so one should always be on the lookout for furry friends coming on campus!