Are you feeling stressed about finals, the holidays, family, the state of the world, the economy or all of the above?
There’s a dog for that.
For more than a decade, OSU Counseling and Psychological Services has been partnering with local volunteer group Welcome Waggers to bring therapy dogs to campus for Paws to De-Stress during the last two weeks of term and spread some joy among anxious students and employees.
This term, the dogs and their handlers will be in the main lounge of the Memorial Union from noon to 2 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 2-3.
“Everybody in the community is welcome to the event,” said Tessie Webster-Henry, mental health promotion and suicide prevention specialist with CAPS. “We get a lot of students who miss their pets at home. It’s just a nice break — it’s relaxing to pet an animal and get that interaction with them.”
Research shows that petting a dog for even a few minutes can reduce stress and increase levels of oxytocin, frequently nicknamed the “love hormone,” inducing feelings of bonding and calm.
“It gives you that feeling of happiness and safety,” Webster-Henry said. “Animals keep you in the present moment. And when we’re in the present moment, we’re not fearfully thinking about the future or regrettably or sadly thinking about the past. We’re just right now. It helps people reset and recharge.”
The program is a partnership between CAPS and the MU, with the MU providing the space, some staffing help and parking permits for Welcome Waggers volunteers.
Welcome Waggers dogs are trained therapy dogs, Webster-Henry said. The group only brings dogs to campus they know can remain calm and refrain from jumping, licking, biting or any other excitable behaviors. The group’s main work is bringing their dogs to schools, hospitals and nursing homes to provide positive interactions for students and patients in those facilities.
“The dog owners say the dogs get excited when they get to the MU,” Webster-Henry said. “The dogs know what they’re doing. The students just love them.”
Welcome Waggers handlers and dogs do one-hour shifts with four pairs per hour, then swap out with four new dog-owner duos to ensure none of the pets get overstimulated. (The exception is Cedar, OSU’s resident campus wellness dog, who can handle two-hour shifts and is not part of Welcome Waggers.) Each animal also has its own limit on how many people can be petting it at once, usually three to six.
During Paws to De-Stress events, when there’s a long line, CAPS staff limit visitors to five minutes before they need to get back in line and give someone else a chance, but when it’s not busy, visitors can pet the dog for as long as they want. If someone is clearly in need of extra dog time, Webster-Henry said, staff members don’t rush them.
Visits from the Welcome Waggers facilitate human connection, too. Many of the handlers are retired and often OSU alumni, and they’re happy to chat with the students petting their dogs.
“It’s really great intergenerational support,” Webster-Henry said. “The people that come really love the students — they’re always asking them about their classes and how they’re doing. I think that’s one of the hidden outcomes that we don’t advertise but ends up being one of the biggest benefits I see.”
The event is free for students to participate and for CAPS to organize, and the feedback is very positive.
“Students say they feel like OSU cares about them when we’re providing this kind of thing,” Webster-Henry said. “They feel like we’re recognizing that it’s a tough time of the year, and we’re doing something about it.”
Paws to De-Stress takes place from noon to 2 p.m. on the Tuesday-Wednesday of weeks 9 and 10 each term. Fall term is Nov. 25-26 and Dec. 2-3, winter will be March 3-4 and 10-11 and spring will be May 26-27 and June 2-3.
By Molly Rosbach
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