The Entertainment Value of Therapy Dogs With Dino
Paws and Picnic, a summer UTM event showed a combination of picnic and dog games to create an entertaining experience.
Student life can be stressful with hecticly balancing studies, work and squeezing in leisure activities. Therapy may not initially come to mind as a leisure activity but there is an event at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) that takes therapy and turns it into a fun activity with the help of the campus’s own licensed therapy dog, Dino. Dino has been around the campus offering services such as one-on-one dog therapy appointments, attending events, and has his own Instagram page.
However this past summer Dino started a new event called “Paws and Picnic” (or previously “Paws and Unwind”). The event is run by April Forbes, a Career Outreach Consultant at the UTM Career Centre and Dino’s owner. When asked about why she started the event, April mentioned both she and Dino wanted to spend time in the warm weather during the spring and summer terms. She also wanted to create an informal setting for students and faculty to connect. April spoke further on the inspiration saying that she met a student who had her own therapy dog and saw its appeal as students gathered around to pet him. She had gotten a rescue dog, Dino, who was 1 years old and very well trained, hoping to get him certified as a therapy dog. She also runs one-on-one therapy dog appointments for students through the Careers Centre and has said, “these drop ins are more than just petting a dog, they are about creating a safe community where career conversations are normalized, encouraged and supported by the different voices in the room.”
I have first hand experience with “Paws and Picnic” and how it functions as a form of entertainment. I started attending the event daily during the summer after seeing it advertised on Instagram. The event typically occurs outdoors on picnic blankets and involves socializing, treats, petting Dino and playing games such as fetch with him. While Dino is a certified therapy dog, I came to realize he has entertainment value as well.
Apart from fetch, he also brings chew toys and it’s always funny to see his reaction when another dog is in sight. For me personally, since Dino is trained, he is much quieter than most dogs and that gives me an easier time around him. As such, students can feel more connected to him without feeling intimidated and more compelled to play with him. I noticed that occasionally, Dino would eye either my food or the treats brought in, but in both cases there was less worry and even humor to be found in the situation.
The social aspect of these events was also appealing. With Dino as the focus, people reminisced about his charm and compared him to their own pets. Even non-pet people like me can find enjoyment in Dino’s antics or the picnic atmosphere. Whether you’re there for the picnic, socializing or Dino himself, he is the official star of the event and shows the entertainment value of therapy dogs.
