Canada's University of Victoria Law School Library has added a black labrador to the list of items which can be borrowed by students.

Four-year-old Echo can be checked out from the Diana M Priestly Law Library for 30 minutes at a time - with the library noting her "Bark Code" and call number (K9).

The objective is to give students a stress-relieving break, according to a report in Global News.

Law Professor Andrew Newcombe is the owner of Echo, who has also attended some of his lectures.

"From Echo's perspective, it means that she gets a lot of socialisation, she gets to play a lot, she gets to go on walks with people and lots of treats," he says.

Echo is reportedly the only therapy dog/wellness companion held by a Canadian law library. Canine companions in courthouses are, however, increasingly common, and New Zealand's first courthouse dog, Louie, works at the Tauranga courthouses.