Is uni or life just stressing you out? Are you a dog lover?

Well, Percy is UNE’s therapy dog. He’s one of only two in the whole country! He has undergone many hours of training to help comfort students in therapy sessions. His talents include calming students and helping them open up to their counsellors. Percy also drops hints about how students are feeling without them saying a word. He specialises in sensing a students depression and defusing stressful situations for them.

The relationship between therapy dogs and humans is IMPORTANT. It offers insights into behaviours within the humans that might need to change. So, we should totally get more dogs! More dogs means more students that can be helped. Therapy dogs help calm students with mental health issues (goodbye exam anxiety!) and they even form bonds with students who attend therapy (hello fluffy friends!). Therapy dogs and their counsellors can help increase the trust between students, counsellors and the uni. That trust is important for our mental health and in being comfortable enough to open up and feeling safe talking about their problems.

Did you know that the purring of a cat can provide healing properties?

But cat lovers don’t have to despair! Cats can be therapy animals too. This idea has been a hot topic for a while as cats aren’t always people pets. In order for them to be qualified they have to be friendly, patient, confident, gentle and at ease in crisis situations. Therapy cats also provide a calm environment for all the stresses that hit us in our daily student lives.

Here at Tune!FM we love our pets and therapy animals, and totally think they should be incorporated into the college system. What do you think? Do you want to see more helpful therapy animals around campus? Would you join us in talking to our colleges and helping us get more furry friends on campus?