Biology, chemistry and physics are all labs that you may expect to see on campus.
If you’re in the Memorial Union in the next few weeks, however, you may encounter a very different kind of lab at one of Oregon State University’s upcoming Paws to De-Stress events.
These events, organized by OSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services and the MU, give students the chance to interact with therapy dogs as finals approach.
Events will be held in the MU Main Lounge on Nov. 26, Nov. 27, Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 from noon to 1:45 p.m. according to the event website.
Dogs will be brought in by local therapy dog group Welcome Waggers. Wendy McIlroy, Welcome Waggers’ group captain for OSU visits, is coordinating for the organization.
This year, the event has been moved back a week, to take place during dead week and the week before, according to McIlroy.
“We just found (during) finals week, people were just too busy trying to do last-minute studying,” McIlroy said.
According to McIlroy, four dogs will be there, with dogs switching out every hour. Apart from being registered therapy dogs, there are no specific requirements for the dogs attending, although the dogs at the events will be those comfortable interacting with a lot of people.
“Some dogs do better with, maybe, going into a nursing home and being with a single (person),” McIlroy said. “Those dogs just won’t be doing this visit, because they have a different threshold with what they’re comfortable with.”
Handlers at the event will let participants know what their dog does and doesn’t enjoy.
“My dog rolls over on his back and just wants belly rubs, so they’re all a little different about what their preferred form of love is,” said McIlroy.
Therapy dogs must be tested for their temperament around strangers and other dogs in public. According to McIlroy, a therapy dog’s temperament comes less from training and more from “getting a dog that has the right personality for the job.”
The events will include dogs of all shapes and sizes, ranging from Labrador retrievers and a Belgian Malinois to terriers.
McIlroy said that fall term was a particularly good time to hold the event, with a large number of first-year students living away from home, and their pets, for the first time.
“I hope that people will come and enjoy time with the dogs,” said McIlroy. “I do think that it’s a really, really good stress reliever.”
