By The Southeast Terrace by the University Student Union was flooded by a litter of vibrant and playful puppies on March 19.
Long Beach State students had the chance to destress from midterms to enjoy Scooby snacks, Do-It-Yourself dog toys and plenty of puppies during the Associated Students Inc. Pups and Cups event.
“I had a really stressful day and I have a quiz after this that I’m stressed about and I wanted to meet some puppies,” First-year pre-psychology major Samantha Tapia said. “They [the dogs] are all so precious and I feel so happy, full of joy.”
Participants got to spend five minutes with the puppies, leaving students with happy grinning faces throughout the allotted time.
3/19/24 - Long Beach, Calif: Samantha Tapia, a first-year pre-psychology major, was one of many people waiting in line to hang out with the puppies. With the students rapping around the gate, the dogs ran all around across the boundaries with energy. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
“I missed the first puppy therapy last semester so I didn’t want to miss this one. So once I heard about it, I was definitely going to come,” Donte Green, a fourth-year psychology major said. “I really like puppies […] it’s really nice to be around them and it definitely lifts the spirits up.”
The puppies were play-fighting and running along the barriers of their designated area with long bursts of energy. Several students stopped by the event to record videos and play along with the puppies.
First-year marketing student Yvonne Castaneda said she was excited when she saw ASI’s Instagram post about the event. “Let me stop by and enjoy the time,” Castaneda said. “I got a boost of serotonin just hearing about puppies.”
Clarence Moore, a vendor for Pups and Reps and caretaker for the puppies said she enjoyed seeing the student reactions to having the Pups and Cups event on campus.
“The students seemed to be super stress-free hanging out with the puppies and it was a great turnout,” Moore said. “[These events] help support the dogs and the students seem to love it.”
3/19/24 - Long Beach, Calif: Around eight dogs were rushing and play-fighting with each other during the Pups and Cups event. The dogs were sunbathing and eating food with some of them occasionally sitting on the students' laps. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
A common theme among students like communications major Paige Fukahara was that the event gave students a moment to relax amid the rush of tests and classes.
“It was like a stress reliever, it made me laugh a little bit after going out of class and taking quizzes and being serious. It was fun to goof around and play with some puppies,” Fukuhara said. “I think they should do it during midterms and finals week to liven students up […] and maybe with kittens next time.”
