Wilson a 12-year-old goldendoodle was eager to meet stressed out students at the Okanagan College Kelowna campus, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024.

(GABRIELLE ADAMS / iNFOnews.ca)

Kelowna's Okanagan College campus received a visit from Caring Canines today to bring a bit of joy and a break to students as part of a resource fair.

The dogs are part of the mental health support students get from the college along with counselling services and peer support mentors.

"We really work hard to create an environment where our students feel supported in all aspects of their development during their time with us and we hope that they can develop healthy habits that they can then bring into their future endeavours, Tiana Langedyk with Okanagan College said at the event today, Jan. 24.

"Every time the dogs come, students are gathering around them, we see them smiling, we'll see students come out of class and look stressed and their faces will just light up the moment they see the dogs giving them a moment to take that break that they really need instead of throwing themselves into the next thing."

Wilson, a 12-year-old goldendoodle, was eager to meet the students and bring a little joy to their day.

"We're all volunteers and we come here with our own dogs and we have an association with the college here, so about four to six times a year we come in and we just share our dogs with the fellow students and with everybody else that enjoys it," Don Clipperton, a Caring Canine dog owner, said.

"The dogs love it too. At home, when I bring out the ID badges, Wilson gets really excited because he knows he's going on a visit and he just loves people."

Student Dana Barclay told iNFOnews.ca she quite likes the Caring Canine visits.

"It did bring me joy and I really like seeing everyone else enjoy the dogs too and I really like seeing the different kinds of dogs," she said.

"I think it's definitely a good thing, it's calming, it's soothing, it's fun."

The Caring Canines is a non-for-profit organization that offers pet therapy services and often visits institutions such as the Kelowna International Airport and the Kelowna General Hospital, for more information, visit their website here.

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