Therapy Dogs Provide Stress (and Comic) Relief - eduScapes

COMFORT • HEALING • MOTIVATION • STRESS RELIEF • THERAPY • COMFORT • HEALING • MOTIVATION • STRESS RELIEF •
Monk, the Saint Bernard, makes
himself comfortable in the lap of law
student Joanna Weil LiCalsi during a
therapy dog session.
Photo by University of San Francisco, Zief Law
Library Research Librarian John Shafer
DOGS PROVIDE STRESS
(AND COMIC) RELIEF
USF students discover something
even more rewarding than
poring over the law
By Suzanne Mawhinney
Pit bull/weimaraner mix, Sophia Loren, poses for
the camera during a therapy dog session.
Photo by University of San Francisco Gleeson Library’s Head of
Access Services and Facilities Shawn P. Calhoun
6 AALL Spectrum ■ November 2011 © 2011 Suzanne Mawhinney
After reading about Monty, a dog
owned by a Yale law librarian who
was “circulated” among students to
help them deal with the stress of their legal
studies, the University of San Francisco Law
School wanted to establish a similar program
to help our students during their exam
period. There were just a few issues to work
out first, such as where to find such a dog and
how to ensure the dog’s comfort and safety
while on duty at the library.

• COMFORT • HEALING • MOTIVATION • STRESS RELIEF • THERAPY • COMFORT • HEALING • MOTIVATION • STRESS RELIEF •
We contacted the San Francisco
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals whose Animal Assisted
Therapy Program (AAT) is “designed to
facilitate communication, healing, and
motivation” between companion animals
and people facing various challenges in
their lives. However, because the AAT
program usually sends its volunteer
teams—consisting of a dog and its
human companion—to medical or
convalescent facilities, we did not know
if AAT would be willing to work with
us. Fortunately, they were open to the
idea.
Setting Up the Program
After getting the appropriate approvals
from university administrators, an
AAT representative came to inspect our
library to make sure that we met its
safety standards for host facilities. After
we passed AAT’s inspection, the program
provided us with written doggie
“credentials” verifying that each of the
five dogs coming to our library had
obtained the training, temperament
testing, and health certifications required
for all dogs in the program.
Next we set out to find an
appropriate space to hold our therapy
sessions. We wanted to make sure that
anyone who did not wish to be around
the dogs—those who were fearful or
allergic, for example—would not have
to be. We decided on our student TV
lounge, which we made as comfortable
for the dogs as possible. It was set up
with a doggie bed and water bowl, and
each of the dogs’ owners brought his or
her dog’s favorite treats or toys.
After we advertised the therapy dog
program to students in our weekly law
school community email, blog, and
Twitter feeds, the sign-up sheets filled up
so quickly that we decided to add a few
extra sessions. We also invited our faculty
and staff to participate. Before we knew
it, we had scheduled the dogs to visit
twice a day for four days during a twoweek
period. Each session was to last
for 10 minutes, and participants could
schedule a session for themselves alone
or with a friend or two.
The Dogs Arrive
Our first canine therapist was a pit
bull/Weimaraner mix named Sophia
Loren who had the trademark wiggly
hind end and people-friendly nature of
a pit bull and the blue-grey coloring of a
Weimaraner. Although she was happy to
do tricks, she was very calm and content
to lie on her side while her visitors gave
her belly rubs and chatted with her
human companion about the benefits of
the AAT program. Sophia, along with a
Labrador retriever named Daphne and a
golden retriever named Blaise, were the
perfect therapy dogs for those looking
for a calm, quiet encounter.
For anyone wanting a livelier
adventure, MotC, a Labrador
retriever/poodle mix, fit the bill.
MotC was a soft and fluffy puppy, full
of bounce and eager to perform tricks
in exchange for treats. Her silly antics
provided just the comic relief many
students were looking for.
Our last canine therapist was a
150-pound Saint Bernard named Monk,
whose size and massive amounts of
shedding were only to be outdone by
his copious drooling and big droopy
eyes. Sessions with Monk were
not for the excessively fastidious,
however; I left my session with
him covered in hair and slobber
(and a big smile). Monk was a
crowd favorite.
Word of our program spread
to the local community, and
several of the therapy sessions
were documented by members
of the local print, television, and
radio media. The program was
so popular, in fact, that in a few
instances there were more
AALL Spectrum ■ November 2011 7

After we advertised the therapy dog program to students in our weekly law school community email, blog,
and Twitter feeds, the sign-up sheets filled up so quickly that we decided to add a few extra sessions.
reporters in the room than students,
faculty, or staff. We hope that all of
the media attention had the effect
of humanizing legal studies for the
students and in the eyes of the local
community.
Lessons Learned
We also hope to make our dog
therapy program a regular part of
the exam period in future semesters
with just a few changes to avoid
some mistakes we made the first time
around.
For other libraries hoping to
follow in our footsteps, I offer just
a few tips to ensure that things go
smoothly for you and the dogs. First,
be sure to remind participants of their
appointments a day or two in advance
to prevent no-shows. Also, allow
enough time for the volunteer teams
to arrive and get set up before the first
appointment of the day so that the
students, whose schedules are already
tightly packed with exams and study
sessions, can count on their sessions
beginning on time.
Don’t forget that the students’
experience is paramount—check with
students before inviting reporters to
attend a session or schedule special
sessions just for media. Finally, don’t
forget that some people don’t wish to
be around dogs. Plan ahead and pick
an appropriate location, and be sure
to have the room thoroughly cleaned
after the therapy sessions so that those
with allergies can use the space
without fear of a reaction.
Overall, we feel confident that
we achieved our goal of providing a
little levity and stress relief at a very
stressful time. Christy Siojo, a thirdyear
student who was lucky enough
to score two sessions with the therapy
dogs, seems to agree. She says how
amazing it was that she was
quickly “able to forget
about the stress
of finals
and
papers by just spending a little time
with the dogs … it’s little things like
that that can reinvigorate you and
help you to study better.”
As librarians and educators
dedicated to providing an optimal
learning environment for our
students, we were thrilled that we had
the opportunity to do something so
positive and uplifting for them. ■
Suzanne Mawhinney (skmaw
hinney@usfca.edu) is a research librarian
at Zief Law Library at the University
of San Francisco School of Law.
MotC, the Labrador retriever/poodle mix, visits with Law Library Director
Ron Wheeler during a therapy dog session.
Photo by University of San Francisco, Zief Law Library Research Librarian John Shafer
Editor’s note: read more about
Monty and see his photo at www.npr.
org/2011/03/31/135011159/montythe-dog-hits-the-stacks-at-yale-law.
Read
more about the San Francisco Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals’ Animal Assisted Therapy
Program at www.sfspca.org/programsservices/animal-assisted-therapy.
8
AALL Spectrum ■ November 2011