Puppies come to Park Hall to de-stress students

<p>Park Hall hosted a puppy playground on Feb. 16 in the seminar room. This is the second year the Muncie Animal Shelter and Ball State gave students the opportunity to play with dogs at Puppies in Park. <em>DN PHOTO VICTOR HAMILTON</em></p>

Park Hall hosted a puppy playground on Feb. 16 in the seminar room. This is the second year the Muncie Animal Shelter and Ball State gave students the opportunity to play with dogs at Puppies in Park. DN PHOTO VICTOR HAMILTON

The Muncie Animal Shelter is open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. It is located at 2401 S Gharkey St. Muncie, IN

Park Hall’s seminar room was transformed into a puppy playground on Feb. 16. 

For the second year in a row, the Muncie Animal Shelter and Ball State teamed up to put together Puppies in Park, which gave students an opportunity for students to play with dogs. 

Guests were required to sign medical waivers, and had to wait as long as 45 minutes before they were allowed in. Once the waiting was over, 150 students were let in four at a time and allowed five minutes to pet and play with the dogs before they were substituted out with four new students.

Penny Vore, a four-year employee for the Muncie Animal Shelter said the event can help students during the busy, mid-semester time. 

“I think that’s why they do it, it’s so the students can get a stress relief” she said.

Katie Wietbrock, an RA who helped plan the event, said it benefits both the students and the shelter.

“It's kind of a way to bring awareness to the Muncie Animal Shelter, while at the same time having residents be able to have a break from school and interact with the dogs," Wietbrock said. 

The shelter brought a variety of breeds for students to play with. Among the dogs was Strider the black pug, Apollo the brown and white pit-bull with bright blue eyes, Allie the white hair terrier mix and a three-legged pit bull named Elsa.

Visitors were encouraged to donate items like dog collars and leashes and were able to purchase dog treats before going in to see the dogs. The proceeds from the dog treats went to the shelter, as did the dog treats that did not get sold.

Kinghorn Hall resident Brityn Calloway was one of the many students who used this event as an opportunity to de-stress from homework and donate to the shelter. 

“I really just needed some time away from homework," she said. "I’ve been working on homework for about four hours and I love dogs, I’m a very big dog person. I bought $3 worth of dog treats, which gave me nine. I wanted to really donate to the dogs and to the shelters."

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