The project addresses two parallel crises: a mental health emergency among university students and the chronic overcrowding of animal shelters in Cracow and the surrounding region. It aims to investigate whether bringing shelter dogs into the natural campus environment can benefit both students and animals.

Three activities are planned. First, a design-thinking workshop with Jagiellonian University students to map needs, barriers and expectations regarding the presence of animals on campus. Second, meetings with representatives of five animal welfare organisations to agree on the terms and mutual expectations of cooperation. Third, a one-off socialisation walk in which students accompany shelter dogs, with wellbeing measurements taken before and after.

The project engages a broad group of stakeholders: JU students (including those from marginalised and neurodivergent backgrounds), researchers from the Institute of Applied Psychology and the Institute of Environmental Sciences, as well as volunteers and staff from partner shelters. Co-creation follows a living-lab methodology – conducted in real campus and shelter settings rather than a controlled laboratory.

Expected results include workshop and meeting reports and questionnaire-based wellbeing data from the student walk. The long-term goal is to establish a permanent research partnership between the University and animal shelters and to provide a replicable model for other institutions.