•  
  •  
 

Abstract

College/university students are revealing concerning levels of anxiety and depression, as well as extremely high levels of loneliness, which interfere with their success in higher education (ACHA, 2022). A plethora of research has demonstrated that animal-assisted intervention (AAI) provided through interaction with trained therapy dogs has a positive effect on student well-being (e.g., Crossman et al., 2015; Grajfoner et al., 2017; Ward-Griffin et al., 2018). The InterProfessional Animal-assisted Wellness (IPAW) Collaborative, a campus-integrated therapy dog program with postsecondary students on a university campus, is a novel approach to AAI. The campus-integrated therapy dog program described in this study incorporates Pet Partners® registered therapy dogs who come to campus daily with their faculty member handlers and who are involved with student wellness, activities/events, research, academics, and informal visitation. However, there is a gap in the research surrounding therapy animals who are thoroughly ingrained into the campus community in this way. Additionally, current published research regarding AAI on college/university campuses reveals limited discussion surrounding the welfare of the therapy/visitation animals. The purpose of this study was to assess student perceptions of campus-integrated therapy dogs through a survey format; the researchers sought to ascertain best practices and impact on student well-being and campus belonging. Survey questions addressed habits around interactions with the campus-integrated dogs, affinity/emotion, including connectedness to campus and level of stress, and opinions about the campus-integrated therapy dog program, including animal welfare. Results from 278 completed surveys indicated that participants viewed the campus-integrated therapy dogs as an asset to their community, with the strongest benefits being an increase in positive emotions and reduced stress. Students indicated that the most beneficial locations for seeing the dogs were those that they visit frequently, such as commonly visited locations on campus, walking paths, at campus events, and on Instagram. In regard to animal welfare, the survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of students believe the dogs are treated well by their faculty handlers and the campus community.

Download

Share

COinS