Four fluffy golden retrievers visited DePaul Tuesday, but they weren’t your average neighborhood pooch – and not just because they came with their own business cards.
Instead, these dogs were certified K-9 Comfort Dogs with Lutheran Church Charities, which interact with people in churches, schools, hospitals and at disaster sites. Tuesday’s Canines on Campus event, organized by DePaul Activities Board, attracted a slew of stressed students looking for a cuddly, calming moment with a dog.
After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, two of the dogs – Luther and Ruthie – provided comfort to children at Newtown High School. When community members saw the calming effect of the canines, they were invited to the school’s first day open after the tragedy, said Richard Martin of Lutheran Church Charities’ K-9 Ministries.
“The dogs allow people in their time to process and to grieve,” said Martin, who went to Sandy Hook. “We had kids who didn’t talk for weeks, and after three or four weeks of being with Ruthie or Luther, slowly started to open up.”
Some also rushed on-site to help following the shooting at Northern Illinois University and the Boston Marathon bombing.
“It was surreal just to see the impact of dogs on people,” he said. “The dogs are safe. They aren’t an individual or a counselor in your face, asking questions you don’t have answers to.”
Photos by Geoff Stellfox / The DePaulia
dvrmte • May 31, 2016 at 7:42 am
So babies attend university now? Disgusting.
Tehy • May 29, 2016 at 10:01 pm
‘Tuesday’s Canines on Campus event, organized by DePaul Activities Board, attracted a slew of stressed students looking for a cuddly, calming moment with a dog.’
look, i understand from the article that these are helpful for people who have gone through real trauma, but what trauma occurred here? they had to consider opinions different than theirs? couldn’t 15 minutes with a nice television show or your favorite album fix that just as well?
it just reinforces my theory, that this is entirely performative. See, Milo has been decided to be evil by the progressive Powers That Be, and of course the most virtuous people are those who cannot abide evil in their presence. So by acting like they are so stressed out they need a therapy dog, these students are trying to show how progressive and cool they are – it’s pathetic.
Me • May 22, 2016 at 11:29 am
Even though I will not attend the Milo Yiannopoulos event, I will require a therapy dog to help me repair my deep emotional wounds. In fact, I require a therapy dog right now to proleptically repair my wounds before those wounds have been formed. Bring my canine friend to me.