SCSU brings Puppy Yoga to campus for Frost Week stress relief

Students traded library stacks for puppy cuddles on Jan 13 as SCSU partnered with Therapy Puppy Studio and the Academic Support Centre to run Puppy Yoga sessions across the day. The campus-run event offered calm, cozy 30-minute slots designed to help students decompress during Frost Week.

Sessions took place in the TV Lounge at SL 167, 1265 Military Trail in Scarborough, with time slots staggered through the day to give more students a chance to take a pause. Organizers required registration and capped attendance so each session remained low-key and manageable for both people and pups. The format emphasized gentle stretches, light yoga poses, and supervised social time with therapy puppies rather than intensive instruction or long classes.

Bringing Therapy Puppy Studio into the Academic Support Centre's wellness programming gave the campus a familiar, evidence-backed tool for short-form stress relief. For students juggling coursework, campus first-year transitions, or winter term pressures, the sessions offered an accessible mental break: a quick reset that combined the physical benefits of stretching with animal-assisted comfort. Limiting sessions to 30 minutes made the event easy to fit between classes and minimized overstimulation for the animals.

Practical details mattered for participants. Limited spots and required registration meant planning ahead was essential for anyone hoping to secure a slot. The TV Lounge location at SL 167 provided a relaxed, indoor space that kept mats, handlers, and puppy play contained and comfortable regardless of the weather. Organizers ran sessions through the day so students could choose times that worked with their schedules.

For campus communities that value inclusive, low-barrier wellness options, Puppy Yoga proved to be a model for short, repeatable events that pair certified animal partners with student support services. The partnership model also makes it easier for departments to scale similar programs for orientation weeks, midterms, or finals season without turning them into large-scale productions.

If you missed the Frost Week sessions, check SCSU and the Academic Support Centre event listings for future pop-ups and registration windows. For those who attended, the takeaway was simple: a compact, well-managed session of stretches and puppy time can break up a heavy day and put a little tail-wagging joy into campus routines.