The dog therapy program is Student Counseling Service's (SCS) "most popular and biggest outreach program," said Melanie Uy, a licensed psychologist who coordinates group and workshop services as well as the dog therapy program at SCS.
Therapy Dogs at Midterms in the fall drew about 450 attendees, while Therapy Dog Day at Finals attracted more than 500 people — the vast majority of them students. "What's cool about the large events at midterms and finals is that even staff and faculty sometimes stop by and get to enjoy the therapy dogs," Uy said. Below, dozens of students took part in Dog Days at Midterms in the Armstrong Student Center this March.
Ayo Obisesan, a sophomore majoring in software engineering (wearing ballcap, below), and Eli Laser, a junior chemical engineering major, enjoyed spending some time with therapy dog Luke Skywalker during the March event. "It's really relaxing," Laser said.
Obisesan said the event is a good way to build community and interact with others during a stressful time of the semester — midterms. "I have a lot of projects this week."
"This past year, we increased the weekly dog therapy sessions on site at SCS, including a second day a week," Uy said. "We have consistently seen the success of our dog therapy program over the years and the benefits it has for students."
"Being here for 30 minutes took my mind off everything I have to do when I get home," said Celine Norris, a first-year student majoring in diplomacy and global politics, pictured below with Moxie, a 13-year-old terrier mix who has been a therapy dog for a decade.
"Although this may not have arisen directly due to the pandemic, we did want to help with alleviating the additional stress that the pandemic has caused to those at Miami, and we knew the therapy dogs could help with that," Uy said. Dog therapy teams can now visit residence halls as well as student and campus organizations (upon request).
Ambassador Crawford completed training with her golden retriever, Newton, to become a certified therapy dog team.
Mary O'Leary, lead dog handler with her certified therapy dog Okie, (below left), started the dog therapy program with SCS. "I admire the passion she has for the program," said Uy, (below right), who took a moment during the event to chill with Okie and students.
Sharon Anderson (Miami B.A. '69, B.S. '77) of Oxford enjoys coming to campus with her therapy dog, Moxie. "The dogs all have fan clubs. We see the same kids four years in a row. And the new kids have all heard of it, so the word has gotten out."
And what does Moxie get out of it? "She gets her back scratched," Anderson said with a smile. "They like the attention. Look how relaxed they are?"
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