Students looking for something to take their minds off of finals next week, head to the Bookends Reading room at Parks Library to relax with therapy dogs.

Therapy dogs will be at the library to play with from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and 1 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Christine King, chairwoman of public relations for Iowa State, said the committee decided to have these dogs at the library because there have been a lot of other libraries that have done this with success in the last year.

King said having the dogs here is a way to reduce the stress experienced by the students before finals. There has been a lot of research that animals and pets can reduce stress and are very popular among all ages, King said.

“It’s not too time consuming for students. Just drop in and play with the dogs that are visiting to relieve some stress,” King said.

Most dogs coming to the library have an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen award or are using this experience to train for this award, said Melinda Moeller, member of the public relations committee at Iowa State.

According to the American Kennel Club, the test to become certified involves ten separate tests including walking through a crowd and reaction to distraction. The owners of the dogs use praise and encouragement during the test, but food and treats are not permitted.

“A lot of these dogs don’t just come to libraries, they do other American Kennel club venues, dog shows, rallies and obedience classes,” Moeller said.

Some of the dogs are pretty talented, Moeller said. Others may simply have the perfect personality to help people by visiting them.

While some people have concerns about allergies, there is no need to worry.

“When people do these dog visits, the dogs are usually groomed, washed, everything, prior to the visit. So, they are really clean.”

The event is in the Bookends Reading Room because it’s far enough away that the allergens will not travel too far, Moeller said.

There is not a specific breed of dog meant for this, Moeller said. It depends on how well-trained the dogs are and how well they interact with people. There will be a wide range of dogs present such as dachshunds and dalmatians.

To make sure everyone has a chance to see a dog, Moeller said, “I scheduled it so we didn’t have just one dog at a time. Most of the time there will be 2 or 3, so that way there are plenty of dogs around.”

There doesn’t have to be a big turn out for us to be happy with this. As long as some people get some enjoyment out of it and relieve some stress, it will be successful, King said.

“We are hoping this will work out well for not only the students and staff, but also for the dogs. Some of them are still in training so experience for them is always good,” Moeller said.

King said they will look into doing it again if the event is successful. Especially since they now have more people interested in bringing their dogs.

“Dogs are great companions, and I really hope students like this idea,” Moeller said.