Tufts Blogs

As an out-of-state student, I always find myself missing my dogs during the school year. Luckily, there are always opportunities to pet local dogs on and off campus! Here are some of the ways you can meet dogs at Tufts:

Animal Aid

Animal Aid is a student-run organization that matches students with local dogs to walk. Typically, you sign up to walk a specific dog one day of the week during the semester. I’ve walked a different dog each semester that I’ve been at Tufts. I love Animal Aid because it’s great to have a scheduled time to take a break and walk around the area while helping out and meeting local residents. It’s also the best way to consistently make sure you’re able to pet a dog.

Pres Lawn

Every Saturday at around 10 a.m., Pres Lawn turns into a dog park, as local residents bring their dogs to play. It’s always fun seeing adorable dogs playing with each other, and the owners are very happy to answer questions about their dogs. You’ll also find people walking dogs on Pres Lawn and the Academic Quad throughout the week!

TUPD comfort dogs

The Tufts University police department has two comfort dogs, Pepper and Hayley. You can often find them walking around campus or even in the library, usually surrounded by a crowd of students petting them. You can also schedule an appointment to spend time with Pepper or Hayley, or request to have them at an event. They’re really friendly and are trained to provide emotional support to students.

Honorable Mention: Mishka the Cat

For cat lovers, you can find Mishka the cat sitting on a cart on the 3rd floor of the Tsungming Tu Complex every Friday. Mishka’s owned by a staff member in the biology department and loves getting pets and drinking coffee creamers.

Spending time with animals always helps me handle stress and any feelings of homesickness, so I appreciate that Tufts is surrounded by a community that loves to share their pets with students!