Dog Days at Local Universities

Before I discovered the off-leash dog park, I used to walk my dogs around the Bryn Mawr College campus. Truth be told, they caused quite a bit of excitement on the part of the students. So many of them would gravitate toward my wagging golden retrievers and ask to pet them and I heard the lament, "Oh, I miss my dog" on a fairly frequent basis. One professor used to say I should bring them regularly around 5:00PM when most freshmen were wandering about, because it would help them adjust to life without pets.

Well it turns out that Susquehanna University was a step ahead of that professor. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, on Tuesdays during the month of September, professors and other friends of the University bring their dogs to campus for an hour to interact with the students, specifically freshmen. The "Dog Days" program has proved to be a resounding success.

"The fact is that students miss their pet, sometimes more than they miss their families," said Anna Beth Payne, associate dean of student life and director of the university's counseling center.

Dog Days have been a part of the campus for the last five years and consistently draw a crowd of about a dozen dogs and lots of students on their way in and out of the dining hall. Most are delighted to pet, talk to and generally hang out with furry friends. And professors, it seems, are especially delighted to get a chance to interact with students on an informal basis.

"This gives them a chance to see me as a regular person with an old grumpy dog, whom I love dearly, that they can come love and pet, and they don't need to be afraid of me," said biology professor Jan Reichard-Brown. A bonus of the sessions is that many students have admitted to larger adjustment issues that have led then to the counseling center.

The idea has proved popular at other campuses as well. Nearby Gettysburg and Bucknell offer versions of Dog Days although some campuses prefer using certified therapy dogs. At Susquehanna the owners merely sign papers to say their pooches are up to date on shots and friendly.

From my informal wanderings, I know dogs can be great ice-breakers and those wagging tails do seem to put everyone at ease. My happy tails are ready and able to offer their service to whatever local universities need their affection!