Meet Bosco and Nautilus, the two newest additions to the lineup of therapy dogs that visit schools to promote student wellness in a program called Pet Assisted Wellness Sessions. Once a week, Bosco and Nautilus as well as other volunteer therapy dogs are brought in to interact with students and help them deal with all the stress of school work by playing with them.
The program was pitched in by Asia Locke, a senior social work major from Chicago, as part of her social work practicum. The idea came to her as she remembered missing her dogs while she was away for college and thought that other students like her felt the same. At the time, therapy dogs were already visiting during finals but Locke suggested that they do it weekly instead.
To do that, she reached out to the charitable organization known as Got Your Six Support Dogs who aim to provide free service dogs to veterans, first responders, as well as sexual assault survivors who experience PTSD. Aside from those, they also train therapy dogs for courtroom assistance, hospital and nursing home visits, and student interaction to provide stress relief.
Got Your Six got back to her with a positive response and provided volunteers who bring in their own therapy dogs to campus to allow students feel relaxed. Now, there are about four or five volunteers in the program including Nautilus’ owner Sue Ellen Choate.
The students are encouraged to sign up and are given 15-minute slots to spread out in the room, interact with the dogs, and just have a good time. The owners also bring in flashcards to introduce their dogs and let the students know them a bit better. Bosco and Nautilus are both definitely having fun as they play around with the students.
Locke hopes that the program will continue not just for the semester but for the whole year. She is also trying to coordinate more days to accommodate more students.
Source: The Alestle