¡°It¡¯s that time of year - the end-of-term paper-writing and exam crunch,¡± writes Stephen Spong, part-time cataloguing librarian at York University¡¯s Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Canada, on the library¡¯s .

¡°In a nutshell, it¡¯s a crazy, busy, stressful whirlwind of all-nighters, bleary eyes, summary writing, coffee consumption, and all-around madness before you can come up for air in several weeks¡¯ time.¡±

According to the blog, a number of law schools in North America have been helping students to tackle the stress of this busy period by recruiting canine helpers.

¡°George Mason University School of Law had ¡®puppy day¡¯, where students were able to pet, cuddle, and spend time with homeless and adoptable puppies from a shelter,¡± Mr Spong writes.

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¡°Another example of law schools going to the dogs is Monty the Therapy Dog, who is available at set times at the Yale Law Library.¡± As a registered therapy dog, Monty can be reserved - much like a library book - to spend time with groups of up to four students in need of his expertise, the blog says.

Meanwhile, the , run by the Brown Daily Herald newspaper at Brown University, highlights a series of ¡°Heavy Petting¡± events at the Rhode Island institution. (Before you get too concerned, the university¡¯s explains: ¡°This stress reduction program provides students with the opportunity to take some time away from their day to relax by petting and playing with dogs.¡±)

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These events don¡¯t just feature dogs, however, as the blog explains. ¡°The University knows that there is no better cure for stress during midterms than adorable animals, so they¡¯ll be bringing baby pigs, bunnies, and other cute fluffy creatures,¡± announces one post, while another brings news of ¡°bunnies, chicks, pigs, and a goat in a diaper¡±. Pictures are provided.

The phenomenon is not restricted to North America. On this side of the Atlantic, students¡¯ unions at the University of Leeds and Imperial College London have announced plans to grant their stressed students access to a petting zoo.

On his , University of Nottingham registrar Paul Greatrix highlights the news that the University of Aberdeen is the latest to experiment with animal stress-busters.

He quotes from a Huffington Post article that says: ¡°Stressed-out students at Aberdeen University in Scotland are going to be given a special room on campus to calm down with puppies during the exam period.¡±

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Dr Greatrix describes the process as ¡°furry therapy¡±, and adds: ¡°Don¡¯t know what it will do for National Student Survey scores, but wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this turns out to be an entry in this year¡¯s Times Higher Education ´¡·É²¹°ù»å²õ.¡±

It may all sound faintly ridiculous, but the concept of mingling with animals to improve mental strength is not without backing. A 2012 paper by researchers at the University of Hiroshima, ¡°The Power of Kawaii¡± (kawaii is Japanese for ¡°cute¡±), found that looking at cute images can improve concentration and mental dexterity.

Send links to topical, insightful and quirky online comment by and about academics to chris.parr@tsleducation.com