CLEVELAND, Wis. (CBS 58) — On a typical day at Lakeshore Technical College's Cleveland campus, you'll find students and staff roaming the halls.
But on Mondays from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., there's a special visitor outside of the Welcome Center who's lending a helping paw.
“This is Elliot, he's 13-years-old, and he's a black lab mix!” said his handler and LTC psychology instructor Dr. Julie Konik. “Monday is Elliot's day.”
The pup is licensed with Therapy Dogs International and is also a certified Canine Good Citizen.
It was about two years ago when Konik got the idea begin bringing him to work as a way to help her colleagues and scholars relieve stress.
After approval from superiors, the rest became history.
“As a psychologist I believe 99% of life is relationships and Elliot is really helping people form relationships with him,” Konik said. “I really see him making students relax and get calmer. It sounds like I’m adding personality theory to my dog, which I am, but he’s more of an extrovert and he really misses when he doesn’t come here during the summer break and the winter break.”
And as the school's official therapy dog and unofficial mascot, Konik said it's a win-win scenario as the duo gets to help others while receiving some love themselves.
“I grew up down the street from a Doberman that was very aggressive and as a child, I didn’t like dogs. But I didn’t learn to like dogs until I was an adult and Elliot really helped with that,” Konik said.
As for Elliot?
“He was rescued from a hoarding situation that had 50 dogs in a house with no electricity and water,” Konik said, adding that she and her partner Christine then adopted him from the Humane Society in Green Bay. “We have this bond and it’s really irreplaceable.”
very Monday, they'll see an average of 25 people who come in to say hi.
“To be a therapy dog you don’t need to know tricks, you just have to be kind to people,” Konik said. “You can see someone walking by really stressed and just seeing the dog, their face lights up, and then if they can pet the dog, that’s another layer.”
And just that little dose of puppy love is proving to make a big difference for students like Keagan Bolf who's in her last semester.
“I have anxiety and depression so sometimes you just need something to put that emotions out on,” Bolf said. “If I’m feeling stressed and stuff I can then take a break during lunch and come down and just chill with him.”
So, while therapy can come in all forms, it's these four legs and fur that's proving the power of pets.
“It’s a small thing but I think those small things add up to big things, so I think Elliot’s really making a contribution to campus,” Konik said. “He is really a connection at a soul level.”
