Bridging campus police and campus community with therapy dogs

Introduction: Empirical research about therapy dogs on campus tends to focus on the impact of the therapy dogs on students. This novel study explored the impact of two therapy dogs, each handled by Police Officers of a mid-western campus in the United States. The explicit intention of the therapy dog program is to bridge relationships between students and the officers. The program had not yet been evaluated, which is the aim of this study. The aim of this paper was to explore why students enjoy engaging with the therapy dogs, where they prefer to visit them, and what they perceive as their benefit. Based on their responses, the final research question sought to identify if the handler being a police officer have an impact on student and campus community engagement with therapy dogs. Methods: After completing a scoping literature review, a ten-question Qualtrics survey was administered to students, staff and faculty via campus e-news and flyers with a QR code distributed on campus. The survey was accessed 1391 times, and completed 1035 times; 796 students, 79 faculty, and 160 staff. Analysis included descriptive frequencies, thematic analysis, followed by a sentiment analysis using RoBERTa, and polarity of distribution. The survey questions are included for potential study replication. A case study is included in the discussion to highlight best practices for a Police Officer facilitated therapy dog campus program. Findings: The findings are consistent with other studies which show a largely positive impact on stress reduction and mental health for those who interact with therapy dogs. There was a strong positive association with the campus therapy dogs. Respondents revealed that most of the time they visited the therapy dogs in common areas and in outside green spaces. Perceived benefits included relaxation in times of stress and a comforting reminder of home, which provided a sense of belonging on campus; the dogs strongly promoted a unified sense of joy across campus. Finally, the handlers were mentioned by respondents noting that they are aware and considering the role of the handler. Conclusion: This study adds to the existing literature about positive impact of therapy dogs on campus, while filling gaps about who interacts with the dogs beyond students, where therapy dogs are effective on campus, and considerations for the role of the handler. Officers were an important factor in the respondents engagement with the therapy dogs, validating that there is importance to considering the role of who handles the dogs, and an opportunity for explicit engagement. By connecting with the police officers, as opposed to volunteer handlers, the program is intentionally building bridges between the officers and the campus community.