Therapy Dogs Brighten Lives at 4C’s Campus
by Nora Bittar
Are you interested in bonding with a furry friend?
The “Paws and Relax” program gives students the opportunity to engage with therapy dogs. The dogs and their owners travel around campus to give students the opportunity to spend time relaxing with the dogs. The next visit will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Nov. 22. You can meet the group outside of the Life Fitness Center, Building No. 10, at 2 or wait till you see them around campus (Grossman Commons is a place they commonly go to).
Volunteers from the Companion Animal Program (CAP) bring certified therapy dogs (which are their own pets) to care facilities, schools and other locations and events around the Cape. According to their website, their mission is to assist the people of Cape Cod through the provision of pet therapy.
“We decide where they (the dogs) would like to visit -- what works best for them,” says Susan Hunt, a CAP board member.
Some dogs love to be around children, while others prefer to work with the elderly. Matching the dogs to a location they feel comfortable in allows them to properly support the clients, Hunt says.
While the dogs may be adorable, they’re also very skilled. The dogs take six training classes and one exam at the end; after that, the dogs go to care facilities to practice what they’ve learned. Once all of that’s completed, they are certified therapy dogs; students can feel assured that the dog they spend time with is qualified.
“The dogs have to get along, there can't be any aggression shown,” Hunt says.
Any breed of dog can become a therapy dog, but the dogs must have good temperaments,
she says. All of the therapy dogs are very well behaved and do not engage in hostile behavior. While the dogs all get along, they still don’t play with one another while they’re visiting, which keeps the environment calm for the clients and the dogs.
“The therapy work that animals do with clients has been proven to be valid scientifically. … And you can see that when you look at people's faces, even if they only look at the dogs from a distance,” Hunt says.
Students who have had the chance to interact with the dogs also have responded very positively. Having the opportunity to bond with a friendly, and trained, dog can help someone feel more at ease.
“To be able to connect with them (students) and give them something special to remember during the day and to share with each other or share with the staff is important,” Hunt says.
The therapy dogs give students the opportunity to relax while in school. Spending time with a therapy dog may help you feel less distressed, which can affect how you feel through the rest of the day. It also gives students the opportunity to interact with each other in an engaging and fun way.
Starting in January, the monthly visits will be held on the fourth Wednesday of every month.
This program doesn’t ask for payments. However, donations are appreciated. The donations help support the training and the program as a whole. You can donate and learn more about the Companion Animal Program at
www.companionanimalprogram.com.
CAP volunteers, from left, Louise Miller, Jean Fenton and Susan Hunt, and their dogs, visit 4C’s. (Nora Bittar)
Categories: Featured, Around Campus