Attending school remotely is hard for students, but it turns out that returning to school in-person brings its own new set of challenges. After two long years of recorded lectures and Zoom-calls, February marked the long-awaited return to in-person classes at McMaster University. Being back in-person means added commute times and increased social anxiety, adding plenty of stress to students’ busy lives.
In March, a new fluffy friend made a quick visit to campus and won over students’ hearts. Second-year McMaster student Willis Grunwald and Mochii, his Shibu Inu puppy, were on their daily walk when they stopped by campus and attracted attention from students wanting to pet the sweet boy.
It was never anticipated that Mochii would become such a viral sensation. In a matter of days, Mochii-related posts accumulated thousands of upvotes on Reddit page r/mcmaster and his Instagram account @snoofin.mochii gained over 500 Instagram followers:
Willis and Mochii have since planned meetups all over campus, and even hosted an event in collaboration with McMaster’s Student Wellness Centre where students could enjoy time with Mochii for some well-deserved mid-term stress relief. Mochii even made a guest appearance on McMaster’s Instagram page:
The caption features quotes from McMaster students, highlighting the joy brought about by Mochii, such as, “Seeing dogs like this, especially during mid-term season, it really helps me to stay stress free.” The socialization helped Mochii adapt to being around people, but Mochii was helping McMaster students in return.
Being back at school in person allows students to form stronger social connections, and Mochii surely has brought the student community closer together. Is there really any better way to relieve stress than playing with a cute puppy? Be sure to keep an eye out for their next visit to campus to get some puppy love from Mochii before the semester ends!