Everyone has heard of the ‘dog days of summer,’ but next week, RSU will introduce the dog days of winter at its “Paws & Relax” event.
Slated for Monday, Dec. 9, and Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Stratton Taylor Library, “Paws & Relax” is an event at which RSU students can spend some time relaxing before finals by spending some quality time with therapy dogs.
“The ultimate goal of this event is simply to provide students with the opportunity to reduce their stress during finals week by engaging with therapy dogs, but honestly, we welcome anyone who would like to drop in and pet the dogs,” said Library Director Kaitlin Crotty. “We regularly have a mixture of students, faculty and staff come visit the dogs during the events, and we’ve even had professors walk their entire class over before administering their finals.”
All Paws & Relax therapy dogs are trained and certified and provide a calming influence on anyone who attends these events.
Those in attendance may choose their level of engagement with the dog, whether that includes giving them a few gentle pets, or sitting down on the floor embracing the dog in an extended hug, or even laying down in the floor with the dogs.
Crotty said she aways receives positive feedback from these events, and students appreciate the opportunity to take a break from their stress and engage with the dogs.
“We first hosted a therapy dogs event during finals week back in May 2018, and it was such a popular event with RSU students,” she said. “Since then, we’ve brought the event back every finals week, with the exception of Spring 2020-Spring 2021 due to COVID. This will be our eleventh finals week hosting the Therapy Dogs event.”
Therapy dogs are provided through a partnership with Karing K9s, a volunteer organization that provides pet therapy visits. At least half a dozen different dogs of varying breeds and sizes will be available during this event.
Paws & Relax will be held Dec. 9 and 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the library lounge on the second floor of the Stratton Taylor Library on RSU’s Claremore campus.
For more information, contact the library at 918-343-7716.