Therapy Dogs To The Rescue

By Tia Porter

Rowan Smaldone petting the therapy dog named Penelope (Photo by Tia Porter)

While many students have been preparing for or recovering from midterms, therapy dogs came to campus to help alleviate stress. On Oct. 16 a special de-stress and self-care event was set up in front of the clock tower. Here, students were able to engage in various activities such as button-making, free giveaways, and, of course, petting therapy dogs.

“Fluffy dogs have my heart,” said Rowan Smaldone, a freshman majoring in theater and performance, as she petted Penelope. These four-legged professionals were eager to befriend the students who stopped by. Penelope, a sheltie who was a mix of brown and white fur, was especially popular.

“I have one cat, Nellie, another cat named Missy, and the dog Murphy,” said Percy Fisher, a freshman history major, thinking of his pets back home. “Penelope’s better than Murphy.”

Fisher wasn’t the only one missing his pets. “The therapy dogs reminded me a lot of my own dog back home, Toby,” said Mason Theriault, another freshman who decided to check out the event in between classes. “Now I miss Toby…”

Students gathered out in front of the Purchase College Library for the Harbor Center’s de-stress and self-care event. (Photo by Tia Porter)

Throughout the event, while some students stopped to build a Jenga tower and others created buttons with the help of the library staff, Penelope continued to attract attention. When she wasn’t walking up to say “hello,” she would lie down in a sunny spot and relax.

As it turns out, Penelope is more than just a cute companion. Ellen Blasr, who takes care of Penelope, also spoke highly of the therapy dog. “She’s like a nanny dog,” Blasr said. “I take her to the dog park and she watches over the little dogs so the big ones don’t bother them.”

Ellie, the therapy dog. (Photo by Tia Porter)

An hour into the event, another dog showed up. Bizzeboots Moondust, also known as Eleanor, or simply Ellie, still has to complete the necessary training to become an official therapy dog. However, her cheerful and curious personality allowed her to capture hearts just as Penelope had. This old english sheepdog even had her own business cards.

Penelope laying in the sun. (Photo by Tia Porter)

Although she was only around for an hour, plenty of students found Ellie endearing. Together, she and Penelope created a stress-free environment for everyone to enjoy. “This is good,” Fisher said, petting Ellie. “I hope we get more events like this.”