Come Home to Your Pet Dog at MyRoomie

Student housing startup MyRoomie helps youngsters cope with the tensions of academic life and beat stress by introducing friendly dogs to all their facilities.

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 5: The now famous quote by comic creator Charles M Schulz goes, ‘Happiness is a warm puppy.’ Those staying at student housing residences offered by MyRoomie across Indian cities are sure to agree. What better than a furry friend to lift spirits and ease tensions away? A few minutes with a favourite pet is all it takes to feel rejuvenated and cheerful, and most teenagers and young adults are bound to agree.

Young adults who have just moved out of their homes to start their college life in another city may find the new life hard to cope with. Student years are fraught with anxiety and tension for both parents and young adults. There is the stress of exams, intense competition and peer pressure. Now add to it the loneliness and social isolation that comes with moving out of the comfort of their parents’ nests to study in an alien atmosphere.

Many students face severe homesickness and may even cut short their stint at college to get back to the familiarity of their cities and homes. Paying guest accommodation or hostels may feel uncomfortable as well and students paying rent to live there may find it hard to cope.

A dog on every campus
In such a scenario, MyRoomie facilities come as a boon for both parents and students. A special feature that these residences offer apart from security, cleanliness, affordability and convenient locations is the presence of friendly pet dogs. The idea to have a pet dog first came when the staff and students at the first MyRoomie campus in Bangalore, ‘Magnolia’, rescued a Labrador called Milo. This then led to the adoption of other doggies called Maggie and Gunda at their other residences. “We now have at least one dog in each of our campuses, which I think makes students feel at home,” says MyRoomie CEO Dennis.

Pet dogs offer unconditional love and help students unwind after a hard day at college. Just imagine cracking that tough test and coming home to a pet dog at home away from home! That’s exactly how Ammu, a second-year student at Christ University living in a MyRoomie residence, felt. “It felt so comforting to spend time with a pet dog, especially when I was missing my family and my own dog at home,” she says.

Impact of Dogs on mental health
Several studies have shown that pets can be therapeutic and healing. Dogs offer social recognition – wherein young and old alike can identify with another being and make them an important aspect of one’s life.

A survey conducted by MyRoomie among students underlines the point further. As per the survey, the students said they could perform 90 per cent better in their exams thanks to their interaction with dogs. In fact, a study conducted at Washington State University in 2019 has noted that pets can cut down stress among college students with heavy academic work. The lead researcher from that study observed that a mere 10 minutes with pets could significantly reduce cortisol, a stress hormone.
Preparing for the finals can be a stressful time – the all-nighters students pull can take a toll on their physical and mental health. The initiative of MyRoomie to introduce pet dogs has come as a boon for students. “Typically, we spend all day at the library cramming ahead of the exams, but when we come home to spend some time with the dogs and enjoy their company,” says a student at a Bengaluru college who has chosen to stay at one of the student residences offered by MyRoomie.
A furry friend is indeed a magic pill for stressed-out young adults.