狗狗让学生脸上充满笑容

 

The perfect formula for making stressed-out college students smile: furry faces plus wagging tails. That’s the idea behind Kent State University’s Dogs on Campus Pet Therapy Program and similar programs at more than 400 US colleges. 

有什么完美方法可以让压力山大的大学生轻松一笑？毛茸茸的脸蛋加摇摆的尾巴。这便是美国俄亥俄州肯特州立大学“校园宠物狗疗法项目”背后的理念，类似的项目遍布美国400多所大学。

 

“Students who are away from home, especially the new freshman, are trying to find their way, trying to make friends and go to school … and they miss their family,” program founder Kathleen Adamle explained. “But most of all they miss their dog or their pet. They can talk to their friends and family, but they really need that touch of their pet. It’s very cathartic for them.” 

“远离家乡的学子，尤其是大一新生，正努力寻找人生道路、努力交朋友、并努力融入学校 …… 他们想念自己的家人，”项目创始人Kathleen Adamle解释道，“但是更重要的是他们想念自己的狗狗或者宠物。他们可以和朋友家人聊天，但是却很想摸一摸他们的宠物。对于他们来说，这是很好的宣泄方式。”

 

Throughout the school year, Adamle, a College of Nursing professor emerita, and other volunteers bring their friendly, specially trained dogs to visit students at the library, residence halls and other places on the Ohio campus. The goal is to lift the spirits of students who may be homesick, stressed, or just need a break from studying.

一整个学年里，护理学院荣誉教授Adamle和其他志愿者，带着经过训练，温顺友好的狗狗到肯特州立大学的图书馆、宿舍以及其他的地方去看望学生们。目的是让那些思家心切、倍感压力、或者需要从学习中喘口气的同学振奋精神。

 

Kent State’s program, the first in the US, began more than a decade ago after Adamle was walking her own dogs on campus and kept getting stopped by students who wanted to pet them. Seeing their smiles made her wonder if pet therapy which has traditionally been used for people in hospitals or nursing homes could benefit college students. 

肯特州立大学的这一项目始于十几年前，为美国首例。当年Adamle在校园中遛狗，频频遇到学生想抚摸狗狗，便有了成立该项目的想法。看着学生们的笑脸，她在想传统用于医院病人或者疗养院患者的宠物疗法会不会也可以惠及大学生。

 

“I thought: Why can’t we take this philosophy and bring it to a well population?” she said. 

“我在想‘为何不利用这种思想，将它用于合适的人群？’”她说道。

 

The program has been a huge success and has had the added benefit of helping to bridge cultural gaps at Kent State, which has students from more than 120 countries. 

该项目取得了巨大的成功，并缩短了肯特州的文化差异 —— 该州拥有来自120个不同国家的学生。

 

“When we first started, I had a lot of onlookers,” Adamle said. “You have to understand that, culturally, not all dogs are house pets in other countries. The international students were a little leery at first. 

“一开始，我们有很多旁观者，” Adamle说道，“你要明白，在文化上，不是所有的国家都把狗当做家庭宠物。国际学生开始有一点疑虑。”

 

“However, I will tell you that now, especially at the finals week visits at the library, everybody from every country comes. They do not necessarily touch the dogs, but they’re all smiling. They all take pictures. 

“但是我要告诉你，现如今，尤其是在期末考试周期间去图书馆，每个国家的每个人都会加入我们。他们不一定会抚摸狗狗，但是都面带微笑并且拍照留念。”

 

“This program has brought people together. They sit together and pet a dog. They talk to each other maybe they would never have talked to each other before. I do believe this is a common factor for all students, no matter what country they’re from, what their race is, their religion, their culture. It doesn’t matter.”

“这个项目将人们聚在了一起。大家坐在一起，逗逗宠物，和之前从没交谈过的人交谈。我确信这是所有学生参加该项目的共同原因。不论他们来自哪个国家，属于哪个民族，信仰哪个宗教，或者源于哪种文化，这些都不重要。”