Three therapy dogs open doors to connection and care
The therapy dog team at Virginia Tech hopes that after you meet with three special team members, you will feel more relaxed, hopeful, and assured that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, no matter your concerns.
“These dogs can reach people in a way no one else, no human can,” said Trent Davis, coordinator for animal-assisted therapy and a licensed professional counselor at Cook Counseling Center. “As a counselor, I can do great work, but I cannot change the world or the environment of Virginia Tech. These dogs can change a lot and help in ways that are not possible even for the most educated, well-intentioned human.”
The dogs attend over 300 events in an academic year. Derek, Epcot, and Josie are treated like celebrities on campus and have almost 20,000 followers on Instagram. Davis said students use the therapy dog team as a well-being resource during stressful times such as big life transitions or exam weeks.
“For those seeking goofy smiles, lots of kisses, and a comforting presence, Derek is your guy,” Davis said. “If true comfort, a welcoming paw on your shoulder, and a snuggle is what you are looking for, Epcot is the one for you. For those seeking a quiet and reassuring demeanor, Josie fits the bill.”
A demand for dogs
Cook Counseling has used animal-assisted therapy for 12 years.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the therapy dog team attended about 50 events during an academic year. Once COVID-19 hit, the team began to offer virtual office hours and Instagram Live as a way to continue to reach students.
“We would get a thousand people on our Instagram Live, and it was stunning,” Davis said. “All we would do with the dogs is take them outside and throw the ball with them. It really made a difference.”
Post pandemic, the animal-assisted therapy team created the well-known doggie pawfice hours. Each therapy dog is available in-person weekly for students to pet and play with them. In addition, the dogs do many events throughout the year, including doggie birthday parties, weekly walks, and regular academic events.
“It has simply exploded,” Davis said. “I have an event every other day, basically. We now do close to 300 events in an academic year. Our events doubled from a couple of years ago. The dogs have kind of maintained that number because we frankly can't do any more.”
Zena Soufi, a junior majoring in nutrition and dietetics, has attended weekly pawfice hours ever since her freshman year.
“A lot of people come here, and they miss home,” Soufi said. “At office hours, everyone's welcome there. Everyone can relax and just pet a dog and kind of forget about their stress level. Everyone needs a break sometimes.”
These dogs aid their human partners, or handlers, by helping them connect with students. A handler’s job is to monitor the well-being of the dog as well as create an enjoyable and stress-relieving experience for the people they meet.
Therapy dogs act as a social catalyst, offering their handler the ability to connect easier with a patient or student. The dogs bridge communication gaps, create an icebreaker to address tough subjects, and can help as a conversation starter.
“I think they touch something that's every human needs on some level,” Davis said. “It's a universal thing that we need contact with nature, and we need contact with beings that really love us unconditionally. It's hard to find that within the realm of humans.”
Abby Lynch ’24, student assistant for the animal-assisted therapy program and a graduate student studying human development, is Derek’s handler.
“One thing that's really powerful is that students can find connection with each other and with us through the dogs,” Lynch said. “Students have a positive association with Derek, which means they have a positive association with me because I take care of him. Over time, they also get to know me as a person which turns into a positive association with Cook Counseling.”
These positive associations help students to be more comfortable with using the resources Cook Counseling Center offers. They provide therapy for the handlers, too.
“One of the real benefits of the therapy dog program is actually for the staff, which helps reduce burnout because we're in a high burnout field,” Davis said. “The direct service health care has pretty high burnout rates.”
Moose: The first therapy dog
What is now a full team, first began with Davis and Moose, a yellow Labrador retriever that was released from Guiding Eyes for the Blind because of a minor medical issue 12 years ago.
In 2013, Moose brought animal therapy to Virginia Tech.
“A therapy animal is an animal that performs lots of different things to help different people,” Davis said. “In our case, they help someone with psychotherapy work. They make it easier to approach certain subjects or certain clients, they provide grounding for the client, and their purpose is therapeutic.”
Moose, whom Davis called “a legend on campus and very popular,” paved the way for more pups to join the team.
“In 2018, we added two new dogs and so our program tripled in size within a couple of weeks. Since then, we've had three full-time dogs,” David said.
Moose died in 2020.
To ensure that they are a predictable, reliable, and safe team, handlers and dogs must go through a training process offered by Pet Partners, an animal handling therapy program.
Lynch has been working with the therapy program for three years. She started handling social media and outreach initiatives. In 2024, Lynch became Derek’s handler.
Although Lynch and Derek bonded quickly, building their teamwork took time because she isn't his owner. The connection between handler and dog requires copious amounts of trust and time spent together.
“We spent days together to build our trust, and it was more prevalent when we were working toward testing together for Pet Partners because we needed some quality time so he could trust me and I could trust him,” Lynch said. “I think that really set us up for success, and it really bonded us. It's honestly an honor, it's not something I take lightly. I really value our bond because I've put a lot of work into it.”
Looking ahead
Josie, a yellow lab, joined the program in 2021. She is owned and handled by Rami Steinruck, a licensed clinical psychologist at Cook Counseling.
Epcot, a black lab, joined in 2023 and is owned and handled by Davis.
Being around the therapy dogs is extremely easy, but it took a lot of work to learn and understand the dogs’ behaviors, Davis said. The dogs are not easily stressed, but the handlers look for signals when their dogs might need a break.
“I went to the University of Denver and got a graduate certificate through their social work college,” Davis said. “I learned a lot about animal behavior and how to recognize stress signals in animals, which helped tremendously.”
Davis navigated new territory in animal-assisted therapy at Virginia Tech, and has used his experience to help other universities, such as the University of North Carolina and Virginia Commonwealth University, create successful therapy dog teams.
Davis also teaches a course called Animal Assisted Counseling and Psychotherapeutic Interventions at Virginia Tech.
As the program grows, Davis is focused on its future.
“We are already in the stages of planning how to sustain this program because I don't want this just to be a memory,” he said. “I want it to be a legacy.”
Written by Emily Southern, a senior majoring in multimedia journalism and student writer for Virginia Tech Marketing and Communications
