‘A natural ability of getting someone to open up’: The therapy dogs helping ease exam season stress

‘A natural ability of getting someone to open up’: The therapy dogs helping ease exam season stress Courtesy of Dave Konkle. Courtesy of Dave Konkle. Courtesy of Jared Wadley. Courtesy of Dave Konkle. Courtesy of Jared Wadley. Courtesy of Jared Wadley. College students face a lot of pressure, especially around exam season, but a few minutes with a friendly dog can offer a world of reassurance. At the University of Michigan, therapy dogs have become popular visitors around campus, often popping up in libraries during exam season and hospitals to provide emotional support and comfort.  For many student and faculty organizations at the University, Therapaws of Michigan — a volunteer organization that offers therapy dog visits — is the go-to resource for canine companionship. Therapaws dates back to 1988, when a golden retriever named Willie was approved to visit patients at Michigan Medicine. Since then, the organization has grown to have more than 120 active dog-human pairs that regularly visit over 25 locations in Washtenaw County.  Therapaws president Brinda Ganesan, and her nine-year-old Newfoundland Paddington, have been involved in Therapaws since 2018. Paddington has a long black coat and weighs 150 pounds. He is a low-energy dog with a good temperament, both of which help him succeed at work. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Ganesan described the gratitude she feels when taking Paddington to therapy dog events. “Many people, including myself, take their dogs for granted, being their primary caregivers and seeing them every day,” Ganesan said. “When taking Paddington outside, I expose him to people that don’t spend one-on-one time with him. I see how enamored and grateful they are for the opportunity. It’s a very humbling and gratifying experience.” Therapaws director Jared Wadley has served as a handler for the past 16 years. His current dog, Bree, is the protagonist in “Paws of Comfort: Bree’s Helping Adventures,” a book Wadley wrote to inspire children to become handlers and grow closer with their dogs. Last year, Wadley and Bree attended NAMIWalks, an event that supports people living with mental health conditions.  In an interview with The Daily, Wadley said he feels interactions between university students and Bree at the event showed therapy dogs’ positive impact on the community. “I think Bree has a natural ability of getting someone to open up, or just feel a little bit better if they have any troubles,” Wadley said. “It could be with school, family or relationships, but that short interaction with Bree allows them to take their mind off of things.” Therapaws volunteer Irena Markovits adopted Emma, a golden retriever, eight years ago. Emma was a service dog before Markovits adopted her, which made it easy for her to transition into therapy work. Emma loves interacting with people and receiving attention. Outside of work, she loves to chase chipmunks and squirrels in Nichols Arboretum. In an interview with The Daily, Markovits said Emma can single out the people who need the most comfort. “She can really feel and can tell who needs her most,” Markovits said. “When there are several students around her, she singles out the one who needs the most comfort, who is the most stressed out. I’ve seen her hug and snuggle with him or with her more than with the others.” Markovits said the number of dogs working during exam season makes her proud, and she hopes Therapaws will continue to help the community. “When we go to the (Shapiro) Undergraduate Library before finals, there are constantly dogs there,” Markovits said. “Sometimes there are seven, eight dogs around the clock, and this makes us proud. It helps the community. It helps the students, and I hope we will continue to do this.” Therapaws volunteer Dave Konkle and his dog Bodie have been working at Therapaws for the past year. In addition to attending events at the University, Bodie visits local elementary schools. In an interview with The Daily, Konkle said he uses Bodie’s story of leaving his litter to comfort kindergarteners leaving home for school. “When I meet with the kindergartner class, we talk about how growing up as a dog is similar to growing up as a kid,” Konkle said. “At some point, they needed to leave home and go to kindergarten. Bodie needed to leave his mother and all his siblings and come live with us. The process of learning how to behave right and grow up meshes well with kindergarteners. … A dog’s life is not that different from any other sentient creature’s life.” To become therapy dogs, dogs are screened for their obedience level, health and temperament. Most breeds over one year old must be tested and registered through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs to join Therapaws. When asked about the process of becoming a certified pair for Therapaws, Konkle said the president of Therapaws of Michigan watched one of his trials and praised him and Bodie as an excellent team. “At the second meeting, the president of Therapaws Michigan came also, and he watched us, and said, ‘You guys are one of the best therapy dog teams I’ve ever seen,’” Konkle said. “It’s because of Bodie. It’s not because of me. Bodie is so joy-filled and happy to meet people — that is exactly what a therapy dog should be.” LSA sophomore Madeline Sablan took part in Dogs and Donuts on the Diag Sunday. In an interview with The Daily, Sablan said she misses her dog back home, so she enjoyed interacting with the dogs and their owners. “Having a dog at home, I definitely miss her a lot, being away and being in college,” Sablan said. “So getting to interact specifically with therapy dogs that are so calm and willing to let you pet them is really nice. It was also really cool to hear the dog’s background from their owner and hear about their training and how they got certified.” Daily Staff Reporter Amanda Piel can be reached at apiel@umich.edu.  Related articles