Puppies lend a paw to support La Trobe College Australia staff and student wellbeing

What challenge or issue were you seeking to address with this initiative?

We noticed a decline in students attending classes on campus as the trimester progressed. Some students began only attending classes via Zoom, rather than coming to the campus and attending with their friends and peers. We identified an increase in student anxiety, stress, and mental health concerns following lockdown, as well as the decrease in number of students on campus. We were concerned this could lead to increased feelings of isolation and decrease opportunities for discursive learning and student engagement.

What approach did you take to overcome this challenge?

We wanted to create a socially integrating event that would bring students onto campus. Having a pet around can make you feel good and get the endorphins flowing. PAWSS provides students with opportunities to socialise and make new friends within the college. Academic staff also attend the sessions, which gives students the opportunity to meet and interact with their teachers outside of an academic setting. PAWSS events take place in the Student Wellbeing Centre, rather than classroom, which means students who don’t enjoy dogs or have allergies aren’t disrupted or inconvenienced.

Who was involved in setting up PAWSS?

It was a team effort, with our Academic Director Dom Harden, Academic Coordinator Miranda McKellar, Student and Academic Services Manager, Niki Kim, and Learning Support Advisor, Jason Cormick all playing key roles in getting PAWSS off the ground. La Trobe University’s Dogs on Campus leader Dr Tiffani Howell and dog trainer Jasmine Stapleton also provided support (and the puppies!).

It took around a month to establish the relationships with CTSDA as they are a research organisation and are very busy. Now the dogs and their handlers are familiar faces around the campus, joining college events such as R U OK Day and providing a friendly face during stressful times of trimester such as Week 12, during pre-exams. Going forward, we’d like to increase the frequency of visits to include Orientation, and other high-pressure times of trimester such as Week 4, when students tend to have their first assessments due. Our Sydney-based sister college, La Trobe Sydney University Campus has also expressed interest in the initiative and have reached out about commencing their own Dogs on Campus program.