This week is Barks@Parks! For the last several years, I've worked with area organizations and dog owners to build up our dog volunteer base (this week we had over 30 pups sign up to participate), and it has been a delight to see the impact this program has on students (and staff) during a particularly stressful time in the semester. How does the program work? We coordinate with Risk Management on campus for event approval, Parking Services for easy access to the building for dog volunteers, our Building Services team to ensure the space is cleared and ready for the event, and library Communications to help get the word out and arrange for human volunteers to keep a nicely managed flow of students in/out of the Rotunda. We know Prep Week is an incredibly stressful time for students, so that’s when we offer Barks@Parks. There have been amazing connections made between the dogs and students—sometimes tears, sometimes laughter, and I’d venture to guess participants always walking away from time with the dogs feeling a little lighter. Dogs and handlers who earn their Canine Good Citizen, ARL TheraPets, or Therapy Dog International certifications can participate. Meet a few of our lovely dogs from Monday and Tuesday!
