Dogs > Therapists
The scientific benefits of therapy dogs for college students
St. Catherine University has been host to any number of decorated speakers in its time. From PhDs to activists, nobody can say that campus hasn’t seen its share of luminary visitors. However, most notably, the campus—specifically the library— often plays host to several therapy dog and handler pairs, especially during high times of academic stress.
A 2021 article published in AERA Open aimed to measure the effects of spending time with a therapy dog on students’ executive functioning, which covers working memory, mental flexibility, and inhibitory control. Ultimately, the study found that, ‘The trajectories of students’ EF [executive functioning] scores by risk status and condition (Figure 4) indicate a clear pattern suggesting that participation in the interventions decreased participants’ EF problems over time and that gains in EF were most pronounced for at-risk participants in the [human-animal interaction] condition,’ (Pendry et al. 2021). In short, the human-animal interaction that students experienced reduced problems experienced with executive function, but showed especially prominent results in students that were identified as struggling mentally.
With these promising results in mind, I headed to the library to speak with a handler, and her gentle giant of a dog, Phoenix.
Schoenecker: How did you know that you wanted to do or start therapy work with Phoenix?
Brown: Phoenix is actually the third therapy dog that I’ve worked with, and I’ve done therapy work with some horse programs too. I was a mental health nurse and always thought it would be such a good fit. Thinking of people who’ve been abused, people who have emotional issues, the trust with an animal often comes easier than with a person. So, I had wonderful experiences with the last dogs that I worked with, and knew when it was time for another, and got Phoenix with that as the intention and luckily it’s worked out that way, and he’s been a therapy dog for over four years.
S: What kind of training did Phoenix need to go through?
B: He went through just a couple of the basic trainings, lots of socialization from a young pup knowing that he’d be doing this. After a couple of trainings, lots of socialization, then we had to take the evaluation and all of the protocol for one of the therapy organizations.
S: Do you have other places you go with Phoenix besides [St. Kate’s]?
B: We are regulars in a program at the University of Minnesota called PAWS, Pet Away Worry and Stress, so we’re there a couple of times a week. We’ve done a pre-K program in St. Paul, we like working with the autism spectrum kids because he’s very tolerant. We have a middle school that we go to, and library programs where children read to him. So those are our main ones that we keep repeating, and then coming to St. Kate’s for events.
S: So you have a lot of experience seeing Phoenix with college kids, since you go to the U. Do you see differences in how college students are affected meeting him versus the other people that you meet?
B: That’s an interesting question. More so than children, I think it’s more relaxing. It makes connections, a lot of people are missing home and their animals, so it gives a more relaxing- I can add kind of a mom component with that [laughs]. But especially the ones that are regulars, they will want to come see him and relax and snuggle a little bit when something’s not going so well with a roommate, or a really stressful time, things like that. So there’s a real immediate kind of physical, hands on, relaxing and telling of stories.
S: Have you had any particularly special experiences, or has Phoenix had any special experiences with college students?
B: I think the fact that he has ones that watch his Instagram page to know when he’ll be somewhere, and will especially come. We had a real special thing yesterday. Someone who had graduated over a year ago came back to one of the programs just because she wanted to see the therapy animals again and catch up, so the continuing relationships are pretty special.
Phoenix can often be found during library events, or at his Instagram, @phoenixgreatdane. Even without scientific evidence, I think anyone who’s spent time with Phoenix, or one of the other campus dogs, can clearly feel the benefits both mentally and emotionally.
