SIUE Finals Week is a Time for Dog Therapy
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has gone to the dogs – but in a good way. Four-legged friends are helping take some of the stress out of finals week for students by making themselves available for petting, hugging and a lot of smiling.
Got Your Six Support Dogs made its semester visit from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Dec. 9-12 in Lovejoy Library.
“Got Your Six has been coming to Lovejoy Library during finals week in the fall and spring semesters for two years,” said Lydia Jackson, interim dean of Library and Information Services. “This year, there has been two different dogs visiting each time period, for a total of 16 dogs.”
His or her owner accompanies each dog. Some of the owners and their dogs who visited this semester include Donna Bardon (Woody), Kelly Felax (Izzy) and Gail Chapman (Bosco).
“So far, we have averaged approximately 70 students at each two-hour session, which is an all-time high,” reported Jackson. “Many students stop, pet the dogs and relax for a few minutes. They also ask questions and share stories of their own pets.”
Photo:
Gabriella Marchiori, a sophomore majoring in nursing, takes time out with Frank the Boxer.
