Students were offered a chance to de-stress during their busy school day by interacting with certified therapy dogs when Monmouth University’s Counseling and Prevention Services hosted a “Pawffice Hours” event in the Student Center, on Feb. 17. “Pawffice Hours” is a bi-weekly event and it is expected that between 40 to 200 students will attend aiming at promoting mental health awareness on campus.
Social Work and Psychology student, Ashlee Moss, who attended the opening event, said, “I felt very stressed beforehand, but after seeing the friendly dogs I immediately felt relieved.” She described the event as “cute, joyful, and exciting.” Moss recommends the event to students as it is “free and fun.”
Student studying marketing, James Holder, also attended the event. He said, “This event is a great way to promote mental health awareness on campus. All of the dog owners were very kind and welcoming. Outside of the event was a table with stress balls and further information regarding the event.”
Christopher McKittrick, Director of Counseling and Prevention Services, said students identify their pets as one of the most important sources of comfort. Bringing students together gives them the opportunity to engage.
“It fosters community and a strong sense of belonging at Monmouth, which are both protective factors for health and wellness,” McKittrick said. “When students are given a chance to reset, they are better positioned to engage academically, meaning that “Pawffice Hours indirectly supports academic performance and creative thinking,” he added.
Eric Kaighn, Assistant Director of Counseling and Prevention Services and organizer of “Pawffice Hours,” said, “Having therapy dogs can provide that moment of turning off our autopilot and genuinely interacting with the world around us… that moment of mindfulness and interaction can help rebalance us and refresh us to be ready for our next task.” He also said that seeing one of the therapy dogs may remind students of their pet back home, improving the students mood and outlook knowing there is someone at home who loves them unconditionally.
Megan Delaney, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, explained how ‘Pawffice Hours” connects to the Attention Restoration Theory. Delaney noted, “Exposure to natural environments restores depleted cognitive resources, specifically directed attention, which becomes fatigued by intense focus on modern tasks. By engaging ‘soft fascination’ (effortless and non-demanding stimulation), this allows the brain to recover, boosting focus and mental clarity.”
Delaney added, “…this event is a little break from reality.
The act of petting a dog can help boost the ‘feel-good’ hormones, giving us a neurological boost that might just be what helps them get their class work done or pay attention better in class.”
Psychology student, Ava Digioa, connected the event to what she has learned about stress, anxiety, and emotional regulation in her coursework. She said, “the event helped me learn how dogs and animals can help regulate stress with future clients by observing how it improved people’s behaviors after the event.”
Kaighn feels that events like “Pawffice Hours” are important in creating a campus centered on empathy. He said student organizations such as Student Engagement, Student Government, Student Activities Board, RA’s, CA’s and faculty, have also hosted “de-stress events”.
Professor Delaney, who has her own therapy dog named Bernie, sometimes brings him to the event. “I see everyone’s face light up when they come by to greet the dogs,” she said.
McKittrick said the event was funded through an innovation grant from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, allowing Counseling and Prevention Services to expand therapy dog access and allow for more training. He also said that the university is expecting to have more than 30 newly certified dogs to attend Pawffice Hours by the end of 2026.
McKittrick, also explained that dogs are trained and evaluated through The Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc and The Seeing Eye. The dogs and their owners are volunteers that also dedicate their time to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and schools. “As much as Monmouth would love to increase the frequency of these events, we as a community want to ensure we are responsible community partners and aim to be respectful of their time,” added McKittrick.
Certified therapy dogs are selected for being calm, friendly, and comfortable in large group settings. There are multiple dog breeds in the program such as Retrievers, Labradors, Greyhounds, Aussies, Yorkies, etc. However, that what matters most is the dog’s innate temperament, training, and level of discipline. These types of events held on campus makes mental health support more visible to students and more approachable, Kaighn explained.
The handlers can decide how long they want their dog to stay at the event. Volunteers prioritize the animal’s comfort at all times. “The well being of the therapy dogs is of the utmost importance,” Kaighn said.
