Students met three therapy dogs in the first of many Paws for Wellness events in the NE library Sept. 17.
Health Services hosted the event to help the 158 people who attended take a break and encourage them to take care of their mental health as the semester continues.
Amy Pellacani, a Health Services coordinator, helped put together the event and said she wanted to make an impact on that day for students.
“I think every student, anybody, could use a pick-me-up,” Pellacani said.
Pellacani said this event was a good way for students to take care of their mental health while getting to pet some sweet dogs.
“I hope they go away with a smile, and it uplifts their mood and makes them feel happy,” she said.
This event was accomplished with the help of Pet Partners, a group where people can volunteer for events with their dogs. The group has done events at TCC campuses and volunteer at children’s hospitals every week, said Nicole Stolle, one of the volunteers with the group.
“It’s nice to have an animal around,” Stolle said. “It calms everything, and it makes people happy and more enjoyable to be around.”
Some students said they enjoyed this event and felt better after spending time with the dogs.
NE student Dannen Hood said petting the animals was a tactile reminder of the things in life worth living for.
“It’s just like a treat. It’s like pizza. It’s like ice cream. It’s something fun and nice,” Hood said.
Many students left with a smile on their face and feeling a little more relaxed.
“In general, I think people like animals and being able to just unwind and hang out with a very sweet, calm, soft animal,” NE student Dallas Gartrell said. “I think it just kind of relaxes people.”
NE student Isabella Bartrum said therapy dogs can relieve the stressors of college life.
“I think being able to play with them, and just even pet them alone, just gives a sense of relief and brings you away from the stress and craziness of college life,” Bartrum said.
Therapy dogs can be beneficial, often being able to relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD and more.
“If a dog is trained for therapy, they can respond and let them know, you can have a panic attack, and a lot of people don’t understand that dogs can sense feeling, so they kind of adapt to that as well,” said Jurnee Clouse, a NE psychology student.
NE student Aiden Johnson said therapy animals are helpful for moments of stress, and having a pet in general helps improve more than just mental health.
“Dogs are like partners,” he said. “Any animal can be a partner for someone, so having that trust in them to kind of guide you and help and always have someone to rely on it good.”
