For the past few months there have been a few new cute additions that waddle on four legs. A litter of puppies have made BV’s chapel lawn their new stomping grounds. Gathering to play with students, cuddle, and eat lanyards.

Joe Mclain is the new Chief Information Officer here at Buena Vista University and after a nationwide search for a new position, Mclain landed on BVU. So, four weeks ago Mclain, his son, dog, and her litter of seven two-week-old puppies all packed into the car and drove 1700 miles from A

rizona to Storm Lake. For only being in here for a few weeks, Mclain is loving Iowa, Storm Lake, and BVU.

The puppies getting to spend time with the students all started by Mclain bringing a few of them outside for a walk one night and students stopped him and asked to play with them. “We brought a couple of them out for a walk outside to get acclimated this whole outside thing and how big it is and what it’s like.” He saw how excited the students were and went inside to grab the rest of the litter. Soon, all seven puppies were outside socializing, running around, and snoozing with students. As the night went on, more and more students appeared to play with the puppies, and they stayed out until past

9:00 pm.

Since then, the word as traveled fast on campus and now everyone flocks to the lawn to get a cuddle from the puppies. The litter even has an Instagram page, with over 340 followers, where you can get updated posts about their day and them eating students’ lanyards. You can follow them, @bvupuppies, and tag them in your puppy pictures. This Instagram page also allows the future owners of the puppies to look at what they are doing and get excited for them to come to their forever home.

Not only are the puppies getting more socialized and meeting new people, but students are also making new friends. Mclain enjoys watching the students socialize and bond over the puppies. People get to show pictures of their dogs back home and talk with each other about their pets. Mclain says, “I have so many students that grab their phones and show me pictures of their pets and there are just homesick and miss their dogs. For them it’s a way to connect to a that piece that they left behind at home and it’s important to form a bond.” Especially after last year, students weren’t allowed to gather and socialize because of the spread of Covid-19. Students miss being able to gather in groups, getting to know each other, and meeting new people on campus. The puppies being there are just a bonus.

For some students, this helps with homesickness and relieves stress, as everyone is happy when playing with seven adorable puppies. Allowing students to form bonds with an animal is important to mental health. One student even fell asleep outside with a puppy and told Mclain that was the best sleep she has had since moving onto campus. Makayla Hinners, a sophomore, and social work major here at Buena Vista University, agrees that the puppies on campus are a great addition. Hinners says, “playing with the puppies gives me a break from stressing over classes and homework.”  Relaxing outside on the lawn with friends and puppies, allows Hinners to clear her head and have some fun.

It’s clear these puppies are doing wonders for students on campus, and it will be a sad day when they all leave to go to their forever home. They will be leaving as beaver alumni by walking through the arch before they go with their new owners. Even though we will all miss these adorable puppies, they are all going to loving homes where they will be cherished by more people.