Why Pet therapy?
The OSU Pet Therapy Program has been designed and developed to enhance the wellness of our campus population and contribute to the success of being America’s HEALTHIEST Campus®.
The benefits of pet ownership have been well documented. It makes sense that
allowing animals in the workplace can have the same effect as living with them.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, and feelings of loneliness. They can also provide greater opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities.
According to PetMD, in addition to improving the lives of their owners, pets also strengthen relationships among humans.
Therapy vs. Service Animals
The broad definition of a therapy animal is defined as an animal trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations such as disaster areas.
It is important to note there are differences between service animals, therapy animals, working animals, and emotional support animals. A service animal provides assistance for individuals and should not be touched while they are working. Therapy animals, on the other hand, are trained to interact with a variety of people — petting, touching, and asking questions are encouraged. A working dog is a purpose-trained canine that learns and performs tasks to assist its human companions. Emotional support dogs are not considered service dogs under the ADA. They may be trained for a specific owner, but they are not trained for specific tasks or duties to aid a person with a disability, and this is the main difference between ESAs and service dogs. Because of these differences, you should always ask before touching an animal wearing a vest.
More information regarding the differences in each of these animals can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I recognize a Pet Therapy animal on campus?
OSU Pet Therapy animals are required to wear an official OSU Tartan working vest, OSU Pete’s Pete Posse collar and matching leash while on campus. The vest will have the Pete’s Pet Posse star and pawprint, as well as the dog’s name. Owners/handlers will most likely be identified by a polo or shirt recognizing them as part of a pet therapy team, as well as a name tag. They will also carry a backpack with the pet therapy logo.
Animals on Campus
As a reminder, only dogs specifically recognized by Pete’s Pet Posse and dogs identified as service animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act are allowed in campus buildings. Approved emotional support animals are restricted to residential housing. Other than in the case of these limited exceptions, pets and emotional support animals are not to be in campus buildings.
- Does the animal belong to OSU?
No, the animal lives with his/her family and acts as a volunteer on behalf of OSU. We simply ask OSU families to consider training their family pet to become a therapy animal on campus.
- What does the animal do as a Pet therapy animal?
Animals will work in various departments across campus. Each department determines the appropriate use of their pet therapy animal. The animal can be asked to do multiple things and the program serves a variety of purposes. Some animals may simply act as a greeter and others may serve in a true therapeutic or counseling setting. Again, the role of the animal will be determined by the department and the owner/handler.
- What is the purpose of the program?
Research has shown that animals have wellness benefits such as lowering blood pressure and even cholesterol levels. In addition, they can help with feelings of loneliness and can even just help brighten someone's day. This program is an additional wellness benefit in the area of emotional health. The program extends across all campus borders and touches all areas of the population – students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors.
- What is the difference between a "regular" pet and a pet therapy animal?
A pet therapy animal receives special training, above and beyond basic obedience training.
- What is the difference between a pet therapy animal and a service animal?
There is a BIG difference. A service animal performs a certain function or set of tasks for an individual. When a service dog is working, that animal is not to be interacted with, distracted or petted. A therapy animal is trained to interact with a variety of people in a variety of settings and petting is encouraged. To be sure, please ask the owner/handler if petting is allowed.
- Can I bring my pet to work?
As a reminder, only dogs specifically recognized by Pete’s Pet Posse and dogs identified as service animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act are allowed in campus buildings. Approved emotional support animals are restricted to residential housing. Other than in the case of these limited exceptions, pets and emotional support animals are not to be in campus buildings.
If your department would like more information on the benefits of the OSU pet therapy program contact pettherapy@okstate.edu.