On Tuesday January 14th, PAWS of CNY was pleased to attend the Syracuse University Disability Law Society’s De-Stress event at the College of Law on the SU Campus.
The Law Society scheduled the event to coincide with the students’ finals week and encouraged students to take a break from their intense study and enjoy the company of PAWS of CNY’s Therapy Dogs.
Anna Mayerhofer, a PAWS of CNY volunteer, attended the event with her Dachshund, Lumpi. “This was a perfect event!” said Mayerhofer. “Students and visitors interacted with the dogs in a calm non stressed setting. The students seemed eager to pet and lavish attention on all the dogs. As usual, Lumpi can never get enough attention. He loves to be a focal point for the students who are around him and enjoys sharing himself as well as getting numerous belly rubs, and he certainly received copious belly rubs at this event.”
Other PAWS of CNY volunteer teams who attended the event included Rick Casper and his Husky Frostyn, Martha Sturtz and her Golden Retriever Flyer, Etsuko and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Allie, Joanne Shibley and her pug Quncy and Maryjo Reinhart and her Black Lab Sandra.
PAWS of CNY has been pleased to expand their college programs in the past several years and specifically, their college and university de-stress programs. The stress of finals and coursework and the pressure to focus on school work offers an opportunity for PAWS of CNY’s therapy dogs to offer these stressed students a break from these pressures, even if it is only for a few hours. Said Mayerhofer, “[You] listen to students interact with a dog [and] you hear them talk to the dog and soon they are interacting with the people surrounding them. They are telling their stories of what their pets from childhood meant to them. Pets always seem to bring the immediate comfort of home.”
Thank you to the SU Disability Law Society for including us in their event!