The Programming Council of Mount Vernon Campus Life brought in about a dozen dogs for students to play with today from 4:30 to 6p.m.

The furry friends — including a golden retriever, two black lab mixes and a couple of mutts — were located behind Merriweather residence hall on the Mount Vernon Campus. The dogs are owned by university administrators and GW community members and were brought in by their owners to help reduce student stress from midterms, a programming council representative said.

University President Steven Knapp’s wife, Diane Knapp, was present. Their dog, Ruffles, was the smallest of the group but fetched tennis balls along with the other dogs all the same.

“I think Ruffles is having just as much as fun as the students,” Knapp said. “I think this was a great idea.”