Therapy dogs are currently hosting sessions online. [Photo by Tim Austen]

Some days, only the warm embrace of a doe-eyed, smiley canine can melt away your stress. And if that’s the case for you, Carleton’s welcoming six new dogs to its roster of now 13 therapy dogs this year. 

After serving over 1,700 students in its first year, dogs and their handlers from the “original seven” cohort of Carleton’s therapy dog program welcomed six new pups to a large, excited crowd gathered in the Tory Quad Sept. 12. 

“Mlerm, mlerm,” says Moose, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, ahead of his office hours Thursday 2 to 3 p.m. [Photo by Tim Austen]
The new canine therapists—Sophie, Athena, Dozer, Moose, Monty, and Gracie—passed their final qualifications from the 12-step Canine Good Neighbour Program Thursday morning, while spectators mingled and cheered. 

Campus Safety, Carleton’s president, vice-president (students and enrolment), and other campus figureheads were also in attendance. 

When the program launched last fall, facilitator Shannon Noonan said the idea to combine mental health more directly with therapy dogs came to her during her office hours with Blue—her Great Dane-Pointer mix—who has been a therapy dog at Carleton since 2016.

The initiative is unique in integrating Carleton employees as handlers for their own dogs, and training handlers to provide students with further mental health resources after their visit, Noonan said at the time.

OG good boi Blue loves cuddles, especially during his office hours held most Tuesdays 1 to 2 p.m. [Photo by Tim Austen]
Having more dogs this year will allow increased and more variable office hours for people to attend, Noonan said at the event held Thursday morning.

Faculty “have seen this program get started and are excited about it, and would like to be part of it and share their own dogs,” she said.

The program has been very successful since its launch, said longstanding psychology professor Adelle Forth, whose flat-coated retriever Zak has had more popular office hours than Forth herself.

“I’ve had grad students, I’ve had staff, I’ve had faculty visit Zak,” said Forth. “He gets way more students than my office hours.”

“One time 22 students came—it was overcrowded!” 

“More pat pls,” says the ever-popular Zak, with office hours most Tuesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. [Photo by Tim Austen]
Zak’s been especially popular among first-year students, Forth added.

“The dog can kind of build a relationship with the student, without you even really realizing it,” said Tracy Saxton from the Awards Office who handles Moose, a Pembroke Welsh corgi.

“They provide such a non-threatening environment.”

The therapy dogs have office hours throughout the week.

Each dog has its own business card that promotes a mental health resource available to Carleton community members. Collect them all and that’s thirteen useful resources in your pocket, and some fluffy face time to boot. 

—With files from Temur Durrani

Featured image by Tim Austen.

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