Therapy Dogs at the Library Help Brighten Students’ Days
Two therapy dogs visiting the GCC library Thursday morning were met with pets, cuddles, and photos from students and faculty.
The canine pair, named Logan and Cooper, arrived at 10:30 a.m. with their caretakers, Linda Rose and Linda Pessin. It wasn’t long before students began surrounding the dogs and giving them affectionate scratching and petting. The atmosphere quickly turned to that of joy and relaxation.
Rose and Pessin handed out collector’s cards of the dogs, performed tricks with them, and even encouraged students to do tricks by handing them treats, and guiding them on how to perform certain tricks, including sitting, spinning, and a “high-five.”
Both Logan and Cooper were certified three and a half years ago. “People invite us,” said Rose, “to provide joy and to ease people’s anxiety,” and it shows as more people stop by to greet the therapy dogs with smiles on their faces. According to Rose, they not only visit college campuses, but get invited to all sorts of places, such as, “911 emergency call centers, police stations, fire departments, and autistic schools,” helping people destress in their fast-paced environment.
By showing up with a smile and a wagging tail, Logan and Cooper are helping relieve the nerves of students and workers from the pressures of academic studies and work life. “They’re doing their job, providing joy and happiness. We love what we do, but it’s all about the dogs.”
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Hello, Manny! Reading about Logan and Cooper’s visit to the GCC library immediately brought a smile to my face. College can be such an anxious and stressful environment, especially as assignments and exams start coming up, so having therapy dogs on campus is such an amazing resource for mental health and stress relief.
I loved the detail about how their caretakers, Linda Rose and Linda Pessin, handed out collector’s cards and taught students how to guide the dogs through tricks like highfives and spins. Interactive elements like that make the experience feel so welcoming and engaging rather than just a quick pass by along the way. It was also really interesting to learn about how open minded Logan and Cooper are outside of our campus, visiting 911 emergency centers, fire departments and schools for autistic students. It really highlights how special and well trained these dogs are.
Articles like this serve as a great reminder for students to take a step back, pause, and prioritize their mental state instead of focusing on what is gonna happen in their own schedule. I love the reporting on a campus event that clearly brought so much joy to everyone involved. I hope to see more visits from therapy animals at the library in the future!
Hi Manny, I really liked reading this article because it was about something actually positive happening around a campus, and it showed how even small events can make a difference for students. I thought the details about Logan and Cooper were especially interesting because you explained what the dogs did instead of just simply saying they visited the library. Mentioning that students could teach them tricks, take pictures, and get cards made it sound even more fun and gave the reader a better idea of what it was actually like. I also liked that you included the quote from Linda Rose about how the dogs being there to provide joy and help ease people’s anxiety. That quote helped explain why therapy dogs are useful and gave the article a more personal side. The part about the dogs also visiting places like police stations, fire departments, and emergency call centers was also interesting because it showed that they help more than just college students. I think the article could be even stronger if you included a quote from one of the students who was with the dogs. It would be interesting to hear how someone personally felt after spending time with Logan and Cooper. Overall, I think this was a very fun and positive story to read, and you did a good job showing how the therapy dogs brought a more relaxed and happy atmosphere to the library.