'Puppy room' to help Amsterdam students with exam stress

The Amsterdam University Library is helping students deal with the stress of exam week. The Library opened a special 'puppy room', where students can go cuddle with a puppy for 15 minutes and recharge before getting back to studying, RTL Nieuws reports.

Marloes van Wagtendonk, an employee of the Library, decided on a puppy room after speaking to students. She doesn't think the students' idea for a puppies is strange. "From research we know that cuddling is effective. Puppies lower the blood pressure, just like your stress level, and they make you laugh. But apart from that, it's just something fun."

The puppy room will be at the Library on Singel in Amsterdam on Monday and Tuesday next week. There's space for a total 160 students to cuddle 10 puppies, by appointment. Though the appointments are already booked full. "It went really fast. Within 45 minutes, 160 students registered. We may organize this again for next exam week."

Van Wagtendonk emphasized that the welfare of the animals will be paramount in the puppy room. The 10 puppies come from animal agency Catvertise, with 17 handlers. Only a limited number of students will be allowed in the room per time slot. The entire action will cost the University of Amsterdam 400 euros.