Current:Home > InvestThe surprising way I’m surviving election day? Puppies. Lots of puppies.-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
The surprising way I’m surviving election day? Puppies. Lots of puppies.
View Date:2024-12-23 18:53:20
WASHINGTON – Election Day is stressful, no matter who you're voting for. But don't fret – I have the paw-fect answer for you to soothe your central nervous system.
You guessed it: dogs. More specifically: puppies.
The USA TODAY newsroom welcomed six poodle puppies from Wolf Trap Animal Rescue, a local organization that rescues high-risk animals from euthanasia, neglect and abuse, according to its website. It started nine years ago and has saved more than 20,000 animals.
USA TODAY Politics Managing Editor Romina Ruiz-Goiriena ushered my colleagues and I to the back corner of our newsroom after teasing a "surprise" coming Election Day. In an election year full of surprises, this was the best possible outcome any of us could have hoped for. At least before the polls close, anyway. Woof.
My anxiety ticked up slowly but surely all day. I went for an early run before work in a futile attempt to calm down. The fall leaves floated off the trees in 50-degree weather. Smooth landings antithetical to my feet pounding on the pavement. I was breathing, but not deeply.
The second a beautiful brown puppy sat in my arms, I did. I gave it a light (then tight) squeeze and let the sweetness envelop me. Kissed its adorable little face, smelled its fresh fur. "Awws" echoed as many reporters, editors, and other newsroom staffers took turns passing puppies around. Research shows it's easy to see why – animals lower cortisol levels and can bring down blood pressure, according to the NIH.
"Just holding them, it helps a lot," says Jenny Campanilla, Wolf Trap's adoption coordinator-veterinary assistant. Talking to them is also good for you, though these puppies sadly did not respond to my overtures for conversation.
Presidential election live updates:When to expect election results; final polls
When I went back to my desk, my anxiety returned slightly. I itched to go back and hold a puppy again. I also immediately texted my boyfriend a picture – the biggest hint possible to say WE ARE GETTING A DOG.
All told, though, the best part (paw-t?) about puppies on Election Day? They don't care who you voted for – they just care.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
- Navajo Nation plans to test limit of tribal law preventing transportation of uranium on its land
- Florida county approves deal to build a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium
- Georgia election board rolls back some actions after a lawsuit claimed its meeting was illegal
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- The Daily Money: The long wait for probate
- Interest rate cut coming soon, but Fed likely won't tell you exactly when this week
- Republican challenge to New York’s mail voting expansion reaches state’s highest court
- Quincy Jones' Cause of Death Revealed
- Body of missing 6-year-old nonverbal, autistic boy surfaces in Maryland pond
Ranking
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- 2024 Olympics: Team USA Wins Gold at Women’s Gymnastics Final
- Former ballerina in Florida is convicted of manslaughter in her estranged husband’s 2020 shooting
- Stock market today: Asian stocks are higher as Bank of Japan raises benchmark rate
- Zendaya Shares When She Feels Extra Safe With Boyfriend Tom Holland
- Georgia website that lets people cancel voter registrations briefly displayed personal data
- 4 Suspects Arrested and Charged With Murder in Shooting Death of Rapper Julio Foolio
- Top Chef's Shirley Chung Shares Stage 4 Tongue Cancer Diagnosis
Recommendation
-
Dozens indicted over NYC gang warfare that led to the deaths of four bystanders
-
About 8 in 10 Democrats are satisfied with Harris in stark shift after Biden drops out: AP-NORC poll
-
Florida county approves deal to build a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium
-
Boeing names new CEO as it posts a loss of more than $1.4 billion in second quarter
-
US inflation may have picked up in October after months of easing
-
Christina Applegate opens up about the 'only plastic surgery I’ve ever had'
-
Why Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik Doesn't Need His Glasses for Head-Spinning Pommel Horse Routine
-
Video tutorial: How to reduce political, other unwanted ads on YouTube, Facebook and more