Three UT Martin students show off new therapy dogs Miss Doc and Dolly (Pacer Photo / Trenton Michon)
If you visit the student health center in the future, you might be able to see the newest fluffy additions to the UT Martin Health and Wellness team: Miss Doc and Dolly, the campus’s two new therapy dogs!
At the open house on January 18, students could visit the student life center to pick up free goodies like Pop-its, popcorn, and sodas, and get to meet the newest four-legged members of the UT Martin family. Several students also took the opportunity to get pictures with the pups.
It’s well-known that interactions with fuzzy animals are proven to lower stress. An article from the National Library of Medicine described the link: “a dog may serve as both a comforting, nonjudgmental presence as well as a positive tactile and sensory distraction. Dog interaction might also reduce anxiety and distress by influencing emotion regulation while coping with a stressor.” (Gee, Rodriguez, et. al) In less scientific jargon, dogs can help in stressful situations, especially in a therapeutic setting like the on-campus counseling center.
Although Miss Doc and Dolly will start interacting with students during their counseling sessions, Shannon Deal, director of student health and counseling services, said the two dogs are still training to become fully certified therapy dogs. Part of the training is gaining experience with patients, while most of it will be, “teaching them basic things like good manners and socialization,” Deal stated.
“Usually, therapy dogs get certified when they’re around a year old, which means for them it will hopefully be around October,” Deal said.
The goal is for students to be able to request Miss Doc or Dolly to accompany them during counseling sessions, have an opportunity to walk one of the dogs, play fetch, or just have a nice petting session. Since not everyone has the need or ability to keep an emotional support animal with them at all times on campus, the student health and wellness center hopes Miss Doc and Dolly will help students find some much-needed comfort in difficult times, perhaps with a side of a few doggy kisses.
