Therapy Dogs on Campus: A Paws-itive Influence

In partnership with Cal Poly’s Campus Health and Wellbeing, the Alliance of Therapy dogs meet on Dexter Lawn once a month for ‘Therapy Dog Thursdays.’

These therapy dogs aim to relieve stress and increase overall emotional wellbeing.

“I get really bad anxiety when I have tests, so today I have a quiz so this is actually really nice just to kind of calm myself down,” agriculture business sophomore Cassidy Fasulo said.

“They don’t really realize how much comfort and companionship and how much their own pets help their mental health when they are home until they are away from them,” dog handler Lydia Lawson said.

The Alliance of Therapy Dogs is a nationwide organization with roughly 50 dogs on the Central Coast. 

Dogs and their owners go through training and testing in order to get hired for the job.

“When they’re young, there’s a lot of socialization that needs to happen and make sure that they’re good with other dogs and different situations,” dog handler Julie Wales said.

If once a month isn’t enough, according to Alliance for Therapy Tog Tester Denise Fitzgerald, you can head to the website therapydogs.com and request a visit from dog handlers in your area.

“If I was somewhere where I couldn’t have my own dog, having somebody else’s dog visit me would be the next best thing,” FItzgerald said.