Annual “Dogs on the Diag” Study Break Brings Smiles to Students

Therapy dogs and their owners gathered on the Diag to give students, and anyone passing by, the chance for a canine cuddle.

“I want to pet one,” “I miss my dog at home,” and a simple “Awwwww” are phrases heard over and over during Dogs on the Diag this week. The annual event began four years ago when several University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN) students helped create Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) as a service learning project. PAWS of Ann Arbor evolved into a volunteer student organization with members from many different U-M programs.

PAWS partners with Therapaws of Michigan to bring therapy dogs to campus for the annual event. Therapy dogs are known for their visits to hospitals, assisted living facilities, and rehabilitation centers, but they also visit schools and libraries.

“Finals can be a very stressful time for students,” says UMSN Clinical Assistant Professor and PAWS faculty advisor Rosemary Ziemba, Ph.D., RN. “Even spending a few minutes with the animals can help relieve stress for the students.”

UMSN alumna and University of Michigan Health Systems nurse Marilyn Granner brought her newly trained therapy dog, an eight-year-old goldendoodle named Gusto. “My daughter Josie is in high school and recently told me she’s thinking of nursing as a career,” said Granner. “We were both looking for some kind of volunteer work, and Therapaws seemed like a good way to expose Josie to a clinical setting to help her decide if nursing is for her. Today isn’t a clinical setting, but I thought this event was a great idea.”

“The event also helps us raise awareness about our main goal,” says PAWS president Kevyn Harer. “We work to provide assistance to elderly, disabled, or low-income members of the community to make sure they can keep their pets.”