As midterms draw nearer and schoolwork piles up, stress becomes a significant part of the average college student’s life. Luckily, there are many outlets for stress relief, and one highly-acclaimed option is pet therapy. Personally, I love animals, and consider myself both a cat and a dog person, so the idea of spending time relaxing by petting cats or dogs is perfect. I, ac- companied by a few friends, visited both Sylvia’s Pets and Gap View Ranch and Kennel to see which had the better experience. Cat’s Cradle was going to be the third, but unfortunately, they are moving locations and their cats are all in temporary homes.

Entering Gap View, the first animals we actually saw were chickens. We almost hit a few with our car by accident. What I had not realized was that Gap View is a farm, with horses, alpacas, donkeys, and various poultry, as well as puppies. We came and checked in (appointments must be scheduled in advance), paid the $5, and began to explore the farm. Right away, there were a few odd situations with the housing of the dogs. Many dogs were enclosed in fields to run at their leisure, but many were confined to small metal enclosures that had doors so they could be either in- side or outside, which was a bit depressing. However, all the dogs were very cute, and most of the ones in enclosures were pretty young and therefore even cuter. They also had newborns and other very young puppies inside that we cuddled. I give it a 10 out of 10 for therapy. The puppies definitely relieved some stress. Although the enclosed atmosphere was a bit of a drawback, the worker checking everyone in was very friendly. There was not much traffic, so we did not have to wait. Overall, I give it an 8 out of 10.

Sylvia’s Pets was like most pet stores I have visited before: standard tile floors, cages with birds towards the front, and sh tanks lining the back walls. Sylvia’s only had one puppy out on display, and it was not a pretty sight. It was in a glass tank, maybe the size of an extra large fish tank, with a grate under it so its waste could land on news- paper below, but only about an inch or so. is was very unsettling, and we were not allowed to play with the dog since it had just eaten. There were, however, three small kittens in a cage that we got to play with and some bunnies to be held. These were very cute, but the environment was disheartening. Overall I would say it earned a 6 out of 10. Pet therapy is still one of my favorite ways to unwind, and if you cannot get to any of these places, Walter the therapy dog is always a great option right here at EMU in the Campus Center.