It is all about puppy love Friday afternoons at UBC Okanagan when some special pooches arrive.

91裸聊视频淚t is like the greatest thing in the world,91裸聊视频� said one smiling student as he stroked one of 17 therapy dogs hanging out on campus for the weekly B.A.R.K. drop-in labs.

91裸聊视频淏.A.R.K. Stands for Building Academic Retention through K9s and it a program here on campus to support the social and emotional well being of students, primarily around stress reduction and home sickness,91裸聊视频� explained B.A.R.K. director Dr. John-Tyler Binfet.

91裸聊视频淭he dogs do work people can91裸聊视频檛. You can91裸聊视频檛 replace dogs with people and get the same affective emotional reaction, so our job is to just create a sense of community in the lab for people where they feel cared about, and the dogs help us do this.91裸聊视频�

For Binfet, this whole program is almost paradoxical as he has a fear of dogs, but personally witnessed the soothing impact they could have once he connected with his own rescue pooch.

91裸聊视频淚 would go across campus to get coffee and I would be besieged by students who would barely look at me and start interacting with the dog. Eventually, they would look up with these tear-filled eyes and they91裸聊视频檇 say 91裸聊视频榊ou know as much as I miss my parents, I miss my dog more91裸聊视频� and I thought, OK, there is a need here to develop a program to provide access to therapy dogs.91裸聊视频�

Several dozen students joined in the most recent therapy dog lab on Friday with big smiles on their face.

91裸聊视频淚 love it so much 91裸聊视频� why have I not come before?91裸聊视频� said one student.

91裸聊视频淚t really helps,91裸聊视频� said another.

91裸聊视频淚t is a really nice stress relief,91裸聊视频� said one more. 91裸聊视频淚t is relaxing.91裸聊视频�

B.A.R.K. now boasts 70 volunteers, 45 therapy dogs and is used by 30 per cent of the student population.

91裸聊视频淚t is a way I can give back in helping students get that puppy love again,91裸聊视频� said B.A.R.K. dog handler Heidi Maddess. 91裸聊视频淪he (her pup) is doing awesome, she loves it. She feels so special when she puts on her vest and comes to work.91裸聊视频�

A sentiment shared by another dog handler.

91裸聊视频淵ou can just see that Oscar absolutely loves it,91裸聊视频� said B.A.R.K. Dog handler Michael Bandyo. 91裸聊视频淎s soon as he puts the vest on, he takes it as a job. The kids come and they pet him and they call him by name and I think he is a bit of a celebrity on campus now!91裸聊视频�

While student welfare is key for the program, Binfet ensures the dogs are enjoying themselves as well.

91裸聊视频淚 look at dog stress. I want to ensure it is a good experience for the dogs, that their welfare is at the forefront too,91裸聊视频� said Binfet. 91裸聊视频淲e actually sent a dog home tonight who wasn91裸聊视频檛 settling. My job is to ensure everyone is OK, including the student clients, the dog handlers and the dogs themselves.91裸聊视频�

Binfet said he is also working to break the image that only golden retrievers can be therapy dogs as he works with a local rescue to provide dogs in all shapes, colours and sizes.

In fact, more than 60 per cent of the therapy dogs in the program are from Dog Rescue.

91裸聊视频淧ure bred golden retrievers certainty can be great therapy dogs, but the mutt off the street or off a reserve or a second-hand dog can do wonderful therapeutic work,91裸聊视频� said Binfet.

91裸聊视频淭he people will come to the lab and they will go to the dog that reminds them the most of their childhood dog and that is tough to predict. So, we have a lot of diversity.

91裸聊视频淚t is all about adopt don91裸聊视频檛 shop.91裸聊视频�

To learn more about the BARK program head to