Therapy Dogs in the Libraries
Therapy Dogs in the Libraries
Why we invite dogs to the library:
- Help relieve stress and anxiety during the semester.
- Create a welcoming and inclusive space in the libraries.
- To give students a way to connect to animals, especially if they are missing their pets at home.
- By having more therapy animals on campus, this could potentially reduce the number of individual requests for support animals campus-wide.
When we invite dogs to the library:
- Finals week.
- Mid-term breaks.
- Days and evenings depending on need or time of the semester.
- Other special events and programming like Waldo Fest.
- Sunny visiting Waldo during Finals Week
Finding and scheduling therapy dogs:
- We first identified our regulars through a local Facebook group organized by Dr. Moe. We now have a core group of 5-7 dog/handler teams who volunteer in the library. However, we do welcome new teams!
- They are volunteers and not reimbursed. Some are provided with parking passes.
- Walk them through the space to help dog acclimate to library.
- Put them in a public, loud area that is highly visible with a lot of traffic. We set them up on the first floor off of the main entrance.
- Advertise in and outside of the library.
- For larger events we have scheduled up to four dogs simultaneously.
- For longer events, we schedule dogs in 2 hour blocks during the event.
- Review ground rules: Do not disturb students at computers or in quiet areas because they may be testing. Reiterate University Libraries values of welcoming and inclusive environment.
- Chloe visiting Waldo during mid-term art breaks.
Institutional logistics
- We require approval from the Vice-President of Student Affairs for all therapy dog visits. We were able to receive a blanket approval for all therapy dog visits.
- Certified therapy dogs only allowed.
- Request certification documentation from the handler. In our case, most dogs are certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Certification is also proof of insurance.
- Keep copy of certification with Library Office Manager.
- Arthur visiting during mid-terms Art Break
Partners
Who we partner with:
- Dr. Angie Moe, Therapy Dog Clinic Coordinator and Professor of Sociology.
- We identify therapy dogs through a local Facebook group run by Dr. Moe.
- We also participate in therapy dog training and serve as a site visit.
- Therapy Dogs in Training Visiting Waldo
What to ask the handler:
- What are the dog's needs?
- What is their max time for an event?
- Do they need scheduled breaks and where would an ideal location be?
- Can they handle a high capacity of students (we average 60-80 individual visitors in a 2-hour time frame, and have had up to 100; there are often 5-10 visitors at any one time)?
- Will they do well with another therapy dog nearby or should they be scheduled alone?
- Q visiting Waldo During Art Break
