Canine cures
Is Rice University going to the dogs? Pet therapy helps students cope withstress of final exams
Journey in her therapy vestPhoto by Vickey Willard/Faithful Paws Animal Assisted Therapy Group/Facebook
Just a handful of friends from the Faithful Paws Animal Assisted Therapy GroupPhoto by Kathy Bilnoski/Faithful Paws Animal Assisted Therapy Group/Facebook
Heli on Rio's back with Blizzard in someone's lapPhoto by Denise Bryant/Faithful Paws Animal Assisted Therapy Group/Facebook
In a effort to dial down the stress of final exams, Rice University is looking to the calming powers of the domesticated dog, offering a four days of pet therapy for frazzled students camped out at Fondren Library. Sessions start Thursday evening and run through Sunday.
"It's been well-documented that dogs have the ability to lower blood pressure and decrease measurable levels of stress," says assistant research librarian Kerry Keck, who helped organize the event.
"We've been following pet therapy programs at other university libraries for a while now and felt it was time to bring one to Rice."
"It's been well-documented that dogs have the ability to lower blood pressure and decrease measurable levels of stress," says assistant research librarian Kerry Keck.
After exploring a number of local animal therapy organizations, Keck and her fellow canine-enthusiasts at the library decided on Faithful Paws — a Bellaire-based group known throughout Houston for their work in hospitals and nursing homes since 1997.
Faithful Paws assures that all its animal volunteers have passed the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen program and its 10-point test for therapy dogs basics (sitting while being petted, proper grooming, allowing paws and ears to be handled, etc.).
"We're being told to expect a lot of dogs," laughs Keck, noting that the library will provide a contained area on the first floor for all those wagging tails.
"Faithful Paws has scheduled at least 34 pet therapists and their human companions throughout the four days. There should be friendly dogs of all sizes and ages, giving people a nice cuddle vs. romp option."
Keck says Fondren will be collecting feedback during the sessions. If all goes well, students can expect some more animal-assisted therapy at the end of the spring semester.
Canine and human volunteers from Faithful Paws will be on site at Fondren Library on the Rice University campus starting Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., 2 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
For more on what makes the canine such an ideal human healer, be sure to check out PBS's Dogs Decoded special, streaming now through Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube.
