Fondren hosts therapy dogs for student stress

By Francine Hessel     11/28/12 6:00pm

 

This Dec. 6, 7, 8 and 10, Fondren Library is piloting a new program in which it will host groups of therapy dogs in the library for Rice students to play with, pet and hug in hopes of helping to ease stress during final exams. Fondren will be working with Faithful Paws, a volunteer organization in Houston sponsored by Bellaire United Methodist Church that typically visits hospitals and nursing homes with trained animals. 

"It will be their first time visiting young people at a university, so they are very excited about this," Anna Shparberg, reference librarian and one of the program coordinators, said. 

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Shparberg worked with assistant university librarian Kerry Keck, who contacted the organization and believed Rice students might enjoy and benefit from such animal visits. 

"Therapy dogs have been in use at selected universities ... for a number of years," Keck said. 

According to Faithful Paws' website, petting an animal reduces one's blood pressure and heart rate. The website states that interaction with dogs, cats and bunnies has been proven to positively affect patients in other ways as well. According to the website, the animals are all very friendly and safe, as Faithful Paws requires them to go through certification programs of varying lengths, depending on the animal, before they can join the program. The website states that once the animals have been certified, they visit patients, or in this case, students, a minimum of one time per month. 

According to Shparberg, Faithful Paws agreed to send to Rice 30 volunteers with 36 total dogs over the course of four days. The volunteers and their animals will visit in shifts so that there will be about five to six dogs at a time in Fondren. Shparberg said they are going to remove a few study tables by the reference area on the first floor to create a big, open space for the dogs, so look for them directly to the right when entering the library from the academic quadrangle. Small, medium and large dogs will visit. 

Faithful Paws Secretary Kathy Bilnoski expressed her enthusiasm for working with Rice and said she encourages students to interact with these volunteer animals. 

"We're really looking forward to meeting the students at Rice and bringing some fun to you stressed kids," Bilnoski said. "We often take pictures at events, so feel free to snap a few with the dogs if you'd like. Sometimes, they even dress up in Christmas reindeer antlers." 

Fondren will also be serving snacks, coffee and other beverages to students who come to visit. According to Shparberg, this is the first time Fondren has thrown a sort of "study break" for students, though it is not the first time Rice has hosted animals for students' enjoyment. 

"We will be gathering feedback from students, and assuming that feedback is positive, we plan to repeat [the event] every semester," Keck said. 

Hanszen College freshman Savannah Rohloff and other students shared the link on Facebook with friends. 

"I'm probably not the only one who misses her dog, and there's something about dogs that just makes you feel better," Rohloff said. 

"I love dogs; I hate exams," Hanszen freshman Rachel Garber said. "I will definitely be there." 

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