Doggo Meet and Greet Helps Students De-stress before Finals

April 29 was a dog-gone good day for more than 150 students and 13 dogs as they gathered together at the Center for the Arts Green for a Doggo Meet and Greet.

Sara Dean ’17, a self-proclaimed “dog lover,” created the event and advertised it on Facebook. She invited Wesleyan students, staff and faculty to bring their pooches to campus.

“It hit me that there are a lot of students with emotional support dogs on campus, or students who have family pets in the area, who don’t have a lot of organized opportunities to socialize their dogs, and a lot of students who don’t have pets on campus who would benefit from getting some time around them to de-stress before finals,” Dean said. “As I started contacting people about the event I found that other people were a lot more excited about it than I had anticipated, and the momentum kept building.”

Among the registered pooches were Kiri, a Black Mouth Cer; Luke, a Border Collie/ Bernese Mountain Dog; Kaios, an Alaskan Malamute; Phoenix and Shanti, Whippets; Mack, Pit Bull mix; Snugs, Chihuahua/Pug; Freddy, Golden Retriever; Lucky, Bichon/Fox Terrier; Ebony, Pit Bull mix; Remy, a Bluetick Coonhound mix ; Maeby, Cockapoo; and Fika, a Danish Swedish Farmdog. A few other dogs and their owners also joined the fun.

Dogs were provided water, snacks and toys.

“I’m so happy with how this event turned out because it not only was great for dogs and dog owners, but it allowed people from all walks of campus life, including faculty, students, and Middletown residents, to come together and share some joy for an hour,” Dean said. “So many people have been in touch with me to say how fun this event was for them, so I’m hoping to find a time to have a ‘Doggo Meet and Greet Part II’ before the school year ends.”

Photos of the Doggo Meet and Greet are below: (Photos by Olivia Drake)