Celebrating 100 years with MSU Texas: Therapy dogs

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - News Channel 6 is celebrating a century with Midwestern State University, and we’re continuing our tribute to the university’s past, present and future with the therapy dogs at Moffett Library.

It’s an event that’s been helping student destress ahead of finals week for about eight years.

“It’s given me a break really because I’ve been so stressed and so focused on only doing what I need to get done, and the fact that they’re here has given me the time to take a break and actually breathe,” Teelee Cook, MSU Texas junior, said.

The dogs come from the Obedience Training Club of Wichita Falls and are all registered and certified.

“It’s good for the dogs and we all look forward to coming,” Janet Browne, Obedience Training Club of Wichita Falls, said. “We’re glad we started to come back again after not being able to come for a few years with the COVID thing. We’re back and we’re glad to be here.”

It gives students the chance to recuperate from studying.

“Pet the dogs, and then kinda clear my head and go back and keep working on the stuff I need to be working on,” Payton Tongate, MSU Texas freshman, said. “It’s a nice little break so I can refocus.”

“I think having the dogs here is just like a break from being stressed, it releases serotonin,” Candice Frohn, MSU Texas junior, said. “It just gets your mind off of things as well, it just makes me happy. I love dogs.”

With how taxing college semesters can be, some students wouldn’t mind seeing the dogs more often.

“I would actually really enjoy them to be here more,” Cook said. “I think they’re really good to just sit and even just having them, they could even come to class sometimes I wish. I would love just having a good break in between having to be hardcore studying on the tight end of school.”

“It just makes us feel good, doesn’t it,” Browne said. “It really does. We’re hoping to get out in the community more now making people happy, feel good and smile.”

All MSU Texas centennial celebration stories can be found by clicking here.

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