OLEAN, N.Y. — Students on SUNY Jamestown Community College’s Cattaraugus County Campus have a new classmate of sorts this semester.
His name is Bodie, a doodle therapy dog that spends most of his time on campus in the Learning Commons where students study the most.
“The students enjoy a minute of distraction when he’s around,” said Beth Lisi, coordinator of the campus Learning Center and Bodie’s owner. “Especially on test days, it's nice to have him here.”
Lisi, who has owned doodles for many years, often thought about ways to employ her dogs in a way that was comforting for young people. The aftermath of the COVID pandemic provided the opportunity, with JCC president Daniel DeMarte spearheading a college-wide health and wellness initiative.
“The aftermath of the pandemic normalized students seeking help for mental health and other struggles,” Lisi said. “The Learning Commons is the perfect place to have a therapy dog since students, who often have many responsibilities and other stressors, spend time here studying and testing.”
Three recent studies shared by Lisi focus on the effect of therapy dogs in a college setting. Each revealed that benefits to students may include stress reduction, improved mental health, and improved academic performance.
Therapy and comfort dogs are often brought to JCC campuses around mid-term and final exams.
“When I met Bodie about a year ago, I knew he would be great for our students,” DeMarte said. “He has a friendly and calming spirit that the students gravitate toward. As we prioritize mental health well-being, we plan to provide more health and wellness resources like our therapy dog program to students and our entire community.”
Bodie completed therapy dog training with Shayla’s Canine Commands in Olean and is certified through the American Kennel Club. Besides his duties at JCC, Bodie visits with elderly people once a month at Eden Heights, where he fulfilled some of his training.
Like they can with a professor, counselor, or tutor, students can make appointments with Bodie, who is on campus 9-11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
“Having Bodie here is amazing,” said Lyssa Kelley, a Human Services student. “ He can cheer me up when I’m sad and calm me down when I’m anxious. I look forward to seeing him. I love how he can almost sense my moods before I can.”
Lisi recently took Bodie to a classroom where she was giving a presentation to a large group of students. Instead of being intimidated, he pulled to be near them.
“Doodles are people pleasers,” Lisi said. “I can see it when the students pet him. Bodie will look up into their eyes, and they’ll go, ‘Awww,’ because he makes eye contact like that. He loves it and they love it. It’s really mutually beneficial.”