Therapy Dogs to the Rescue

By: Teeba Rauuf

The end of semester can be very stressful for students. Therefore, the University of Sioux Falls hosts pet therapy for its students. “Researchers have found a direct connection between interacting with animals and enjoying positive health benefits. These animal therapy benefits include mental health, physical health and skill improvement” (The healing Power of Animals: Benefits of animal-assisted therapy – Husson University). The University of Sioux Falls has hosted Dog Therapy for a few years, and due to its popular demand, it will continue to thrive with the Cougars.     

The mid-semester Pet Therapy event was hosted on March 28, 2023 in the Mears Library. Katherine (Kat) Steffen, the leader of the event, says Pet Therapy has played a big role in past semesters. “I think this is an important event for a few reasons. It is fun, most people love dogs, a lot of students have dogs back home that they don’t get to see during the school year, and dogs can help students in distress.” Steffen is part of  CAB, the Cougar Activities Board. “Pet Therapy has been very popular with students, around 100 students showed up during the event,” Steffen says. 

Originally, Pet Therapy came to the University of Sioux Falls once a semester, right before finals week, but because of its popularity, now it’s twice a semester. The dogs come from Augustana Professor Debbie Hanson, who is a member of Chapter 200 of Therapy Dogs International. That organization trains and works with licensing the dogs to become part of the therapy dog group. 

The University of Sioux Falls and CAB offer Dog Therapy to help students destress and relax. School can be nerve-wrecking, so taking a break and getting to pet dogs for an hour helps both physically and mentally. Another Pet Therapy session will be hosted in the Mears Library on Thursday, May 18, and watch the Student Life app for more sessions in the Fall, 2023 semester.