Students, faculty and surrounding community gathered on the Memorial Quad Lawn for Rent-a-Pooch, a returning event designed to allow people to play with dogs on campus.

The event was introduced last fall and was brought back this spring because of popular demand. The event raises awareness for pet adoption for the Humane Society and gives students a chance to cure their homesickness and give them a pick-me-up before finals.

“Students get to come out and play with the dogs for a little bit, and the dogs get to come out of the shelter for a little bit and get a lot of human interactions. So it’s a win-win for both organizations,” Tammy Nguyen said, a senior at the UO and member of the UO Public Relations Student Society of America.

Hosted by UO PRSSA and Greenhill Humane Society, eight canines were rented out in 15, 30 and 60-minute increments for a quick stress relief during the busy end-of-the-year rush. All proceeds were donated to one of the two shelters under the Greenhill Humane Society, a local animal shelter that saves the lives of more than 4,000 animals each year. The Humane Society brought these rescue and volunteer dogs to the UO campus to socialize with students.

“Its goal is kinda multi-tiered, it is made to gain exposure for the shelter and let us talk to college kids about being responsible and loving pet owners. First and foremost though, it is really about love,” Sasha Elliott, communication and events manager, said. “It’s about the animals getting out of the shelter and getting to interact with kids who most often come from families with pets. It’s about just sharing love and have a play date here in the quad.”