April 25, 2016

Library to host therapy/service dogs for stress relief

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Dogs are coming to the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus to meet “Dawgs” and help alleviate a bit of the stress of final exam preparation. 

Morris Library will be hosting therapy/service dogs from Supporting Independence through Teamwork (SI) Service Dogs in Ava on May 5 and 6.  Each day from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m., the trained service dogs will be on the lawn near the north entrance of the library so students, faculty, staff and community members can stop by and pet them or play with them. In case of inclement weather, the event will move indoors to the Browsing Room on the first floor of the library. 

Dawgs Meet Dogs is co-sponsored by Saluki Service Dawgs, a registered student organization whose members will assist with the dogs during the event. While designed to provide a fun, relaxing way for students to unwind from preparing for exams, the sessions are open to everyone. Previous Dawgs Meet Dogs events have drawn hundreds of visitors. 

The dogs are specially trained and tested to assure they are prepared to work in public situations such as this. They are routinely exposed to similar scenarios and evaluated to make sure their skills and temperament are suitable for dealing with crowds of people. Generally, trained service dogs have government-mandated public access rights. 

For more information, contact Howard Carter, co-interim dean of Library Affairs, at 618/453-2522 or hcarter@lib.siu.edu