Dogs on Call helps lower stress during finals week

For almost a year, Pet Partner teams from Dogs on Call, Inc., a local nonprofit organization made up of volunteers and their pets, have visited UW–Madison students in their residence halls during finals week.

They also have visited the School of Medicine and Public Health and the School of Nursing. One of their larger events is “Dogs at College Library.”

The group’s goal is to help relieve students of some of the stress and anxiety often associated with finals week. This semester finals week is December 17–23, but the canine visits have already begun.

The Dogs on Call mission is to promote the human/animal connection through one to one interaction. All of its teams are registered with the Delta Society, an internationally recognized therapy animal organization.

“We truly love sharing our dogs with the students and they have been very appreciative of us taking the time to share our dogs with them,” says Liz Morrison of Dogs on Call. “They tell us these group events have helped them to relax and think about something else, if even for a little while.”

Teams from Dogs on Call also visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and many other facilities in the community.

Scheduled campus visits, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated, include:

• Tuesday, Dec. 13: Chadbourne Hall
• Wednesday, Dec. 14: Witte Hall
• Thursday, Dec. 15: Smith Hall
• Friday, Dec. 16: Kronshage, Cole and Sullivan Halls, 3–4:30 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 16: Ogg Hall, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Dec. 20: College Library, 4–5:30 p.m.