Photos by Patricia Marroquin
You would have thought rock stars had descended on the campus. On a bright, sunny March day on the lawn outside the Student Resource Building, clusters of students formed circles around the special visitors, everyone reaching out to touch them and snap their photos. There were smiles and giggles, as well as exclamations of "Awww, how cute!" and "What’s his name?" The "celebrities" attracted a crowd of nearly 2,000 students, staff and others.
Dead Week came alive when UCSB Health & Wellness hosted Dog Therapy Day on March 14. These weren't your average household pooches, however. These four-legged friends were certified dog therapists, some with their own business cards. Their mission was simple: help their two-legged friends lower their blood pressure and stress levels, offer social support, and just make people happy and relaxed.
There were Chad and Dina, Lacie and Cooper, Otis and Lucy, Gunner and Tobee. A couple of collies, a cocker spaniel, a German shepherd, two Labradors, a "puggle" (a pug-beagle mix). In all, there were nearly a dozen certified dog therapists who came courtesy of the Ventura chapter of Love on a Leash, the Foundation for Pet-Provided Therapy, which provides visits by privately owned therapy pets and their owners. Love on a Leash's other certified therapy pets include cats and rabbits, but it was strictly a dog day afternoon at the UCSB event.
Dog Therapy Day is held during Dead Week each quarter, said Mark Shishim, Health and Wellness Educator, Wellness Program Coordinator, and a doctoral student in Education.
"Our goal is to provide some public therapy for all UCSB students in preparation for finals," Shishim told the GradPost. He said stress is the No. 1 impediment to success on campus, and the very presence of these cute, cuddly canines serves as a calming influence.
Research by his office's interns found that simply petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure; and the majority of dog owners felt their canine companions were sensitive to their emotions.
Shishim says in a special moment of the day, "kids from the children's center came over, and there was a synergy of cuteness. Dogs + cute little kids = explosion of 'awwwww' from several students."
He says the center is planning its next Dog Therapy Day for the week of June 4. But Shishim encourages all students not to wait for the next pet therapy day to take advantage of the many services and programs Health & Wellness has to offer.
He says: "We host weekly health workshops on Wednesday nights in HSSB 1174, field trips on the weekends, free massage Monday through Wednesday, and a variety of special events like Dog Therapy Day each quarter. Our Fun Stuff to Do Calendar receives over 6,000 hits per day and has 10 to 15 events added each day. The Off-Campus Resources page is full of links to fun things to do in the surrounding area, and we have a new special page devoted to the UCSB Labyrinth. Our internship program is open to all students interested in making UCSB a healthier place and a great way to get involved on campus." Grad students, there's a wealth of wellness there, so make sure to take advantage of the center.
