Photo by: LB Times
LRC hires “fur staff” for animal-assisted education

The UPLB Learning Resource Center (LRC) has been bringing delight to students and staff for the past few months with the presence of its “LRC Fur Staff.” 

With the guidance of Dr. Maria Catalina T. de Luna, the proponent and trainer of the BARKada at CATropa: UPLB Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) Program, LRC has successfully implemented one of its sub-activities categorized as animal-assisted education. Two Pembroke Welsh Corgis named Sylvie and Bobbi serve as the Center’s fur staff. While inside the LRC premises, the dogs are under the supervision of Joshua Michael Jonas, a university research associate and a member of the UPLB AAI Core Team.

Sylvie and Bobbi are considered as therapy-dogs-in-training since they have yet to comply with certain requirements to become certified therapy dogs that serve in more intimate psychosocial sessions. In the meantime, they are getting used to socializing with students and the staff members of LRC and the different units of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

The fur staff have their regular visiting schedules at the LRC office and appear regularly at the Learning Hub. They usually roam around the AAI Corner of the Learning Hub to play and socialize with students during their break time and study sessions. They also attend tutorials conducted by the Center and interact with the participants. 

To encourage more interaction with students, LRC organized #CorgiDay wherein free Corgi stickers are given to the students while interacting with the fur staff. Research has shown that regular interaction with dogs helps improve students’ academic performance and reduces their anxiety, which is why the Center has thought of having fur staff regularly at the LRC premises.

The dogs’ safety and welfare are also prioritized in the program. Dr. de Luna ensures that the fur staff’s anti-rabies and deworming shots are up to date and that they are in healthy condition. The students handling the animals are also advised to disinfect their hands before and after interacting with them.

Sylvie’s handler – Justin Earl Bernardo, an alumnus of the BS Applied Mathematics program, said that seeing Sylvie bring smiles to people and lighten their mood was the reason why they joined LRC. Being able to share the happiness and satisfaction of spending time with her was something others also deserved,” he said. 

Von Dela Cruz, a BS Forestry student and Bobbi’s handler, affirms that what inspired him to bring her to LRC was to help other students feel happy and calm, just like how he experienced this himself through Bobbi. “Over the past few days, students [have been with Bobby, who has elicited] smiles and awws. I hope more and more students will also find comfort through the BARKada and CATropa AAI Program,” he added.

According to Dan Victor Gapaz, a BS Computer Science student and a regular visitor of the LRC Learning Hub, the presence of the fur staff creates a relaxing and comforting environment for himself and his fellow students. Personally, when I see the fur staff, it reduces my stress, and it brings a smile to my face. Fur staff spread a sense of joy among students who are studying at LRC,” he added.
LRC and the AAI Program Team intend to recruit more dogs in the coming year to serve as therapy dogs and fur staff. (Joshua Michael G. Jonas)

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