The last half of the semester is one that many look forward to the most, with plans for the break coming together and spending some much-needed time home with loved ones. But in order for the break to come, students have to first overcome the stressful feat of finals. As we once again approach the dreaded season of finals, it’s important to remind ourselves what, or who, can be used to help alleviate the pressures of the exams.

Andy Williams, the owner of Truman, who is the popular pup often seen at campus events, shared his thoughts on how Truman’s skills as a therapy dog help to reduce the tension that many students feel during their final exams. As a therapy dog for the Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services (KPETS) organization, Truman specializes in calming the anxieties of those who visit with him.

“We’ve been coming to the College since he was eight weeks old, so he’s been here his first year and a half as a service dog in training, and then continuing on as a therapy dog for KPETS,” Williams said.

Truman spends his time on campus providing comfort to those seeking a reprieve from the stress they experience, while still maintaining his dog-like status through chasing tennis balls down the hall of the communications department. Although Truman wasn’t present for this interview, his character was easily shown through the answers Williams provided.

As we quickly approach finals, which is an undoubtedly stressful time, how can a visit from Truman help alleviate the stress of the exams?

I think it’s important to have therapy animals on campus year-around because students are stressed all the time, there’s no set time where you have to be stressed… typically once a week I try to take him to the BSC and interact with students, because people could use just 20 seconds of greeting a dog as a distraction… and he likes doing it as well, he’s very calm, he goes right up next [to] you and you can pet him. It’s amazing what a little bit of that does to help people.

Why is it important for students to have outlets to relieve the stress that comes from finals?

I think it’s really good for your own emotional and mental wellness to get into those habits of taking breaks. So doing anything that sort of removes you from that situation, even for a short period of time, and then come back to it I think is a great habit to get into, and I think the students pick up on [Truman’s effect], whether they realize it or not.

There was a study done at NYU, which showed nearly half of the students surveyed described feeling significant amounts of stress on a daily basis. Knowing these statistics, how do therapy dogs like Truman instill healthy habits for students dealing with the stress we encounter?

It reinforces to the students to take that time to disconnect, to put your phone down and to take a study break… I think it does help reinforce how good that [it] is to just break away, it doesn’t have to be with Truman, it could be going for a walk, or getting some fresh air, something just to feel a little bit better. And I think just that little interaction we do is enough of a distraction to kind of break that stress cycle.

We see Truman at many events for prospective students, like Accepted Students Day for example. How does providing that extra support for students making big decisions align with Elizabethtown College’s efforts of making Etown feel like home?

To know that these services are available just checks a box for a lot of people. It shows that the College is committed to this type of support across the board, with Learning Services, and Disability Services, and the Bowers Center with wellness. I think they see the value of giving students the tools and opportunities to keep them well and focused.

It seems as though whenever a dog is seen walking on campus, groups of students are just itching to pet them. Does Truman feel threatened by this competition?

I don’t think he feels threatened, but what is funny to me is that when Truman doesn’t have his yellow bandana on and we’re walking on campus people don’t recognize him. He’s a people dog, he likes to be around other people, he doesn’t necessarily want to play with other dogs.