Therapy dogs help bust stress at the University of Guelph
Therapy dog programs provide a wide range of mental, social, physical and emotional benefits to people and are often available in a variety of locations including hospitals, retirement or nursing homes, schools and community centres.
Tails were wagging, smiles were beaming and selfies were snapping on the second floor of the University of Guelph’s McLaughlin Library this past April.
Students are all smiles during their visit with a therapy dog.
More than 640 students at the University of Guelph had the opportunity to “Take a Paws” and book a session with a St. John Ambulance therapy dog during exam season this spring. Students cuddled, hugged, observed and photographed trained therapy dogs as they spent their 15-minute session with a canine companion. The Take a Paws event is new this year and is part of the University of Guelph Library’s exam stress-buster program which began in 2011.
Peggy Pritchard, Associate Librarian at the University of Guelph, was instrumental in developing the program from its infancy and led the project through to implementation. Pritchard, along with her three-year-old Löwchen, Taksim, are volunteers with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program in the Guelph area.
Rebecca Graham, Chief Information Officer and Chief Librarian at the University of Guelph, says it was evident the event accomplished its goal of reducing stress among the students who attended. “The sheer joy and overall relaxation students were able to experience during the sessions was our ultimate goal,” shared Graham. “The impact of social media helped raise awareness, visibility and excitement of the event, and we can’t wait to plan another Take a Paws in the future.”
The first 500 students attending a session received a special edition “Buster” stress-busting dog. The event was complemented by a social media campaign asking University of Guelph community members to share their own stress-busting tips with students.
Doreen Houston, veterinarian and Vice Chair of the OVC Pet Trust Board, attended a session and reinforced the importance this initiative provides to students in reducing stress. “You could witness and feel the dissipation of stress in the room when you watched the students spend time with the therapy dogs,” Houston says. “Students today face a great deal of stress, especially when they may be away from home and preparing for exams. The opportunity to develop companionship with a dog may certainly have a lasting impact on emotional and physical health.”
While studies show interaction with animals helps reduce stress in people, University of Guelph researchers are currently investigating how such interactions may affect therapy dogs. Improving understanding of how dogs respond to such human interactions may be used to optimize the outcomes for both people and dogs during events such as Take a Paws. The study is being led by University of Guelph Associate Professor Katrina Merkies in the Department of Animal Biosciences, in collaboration with Lee Niel, Assistant Professor, Col. K.L. Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare, and Pet Trust funded researcher at the Ontario Veterinary College.
Take a Paws will resume during winter exams this December, and due to popularity, the number of sessions available to students has doubled.
