Students cope with feelings of depression, anxiety with support of therapy animals


Brandon Darsow’s biggest complaint about his roommate is that she has a tendency to wake him up late at night by hanging off his television stand and meowing loudly.

“I can’t get too mad at her though,” Darsow said, scooping his feline roommate off the floor. “She’s kind of like my baby.”

The Portage sophomore is one of five students who lives with a therapy pet in the residence halls. Approved by Student Disability Services to help him cope with his panic attacks, Darsow lives with his short-haired cat, Minx, alongside his other roommate.

To apply for permission to have a therapy pet on campus, students must first check with Student Disability Services to see if their disability makes them eligible. A student must regularly see a therapist for more than six months before even being considered for an application. 

During that time, the student must discuss with their therapist whether a therapy pet could be used to help them with their disability.

A study issued by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the 1980s revealed that using therapy animals, even for a short period of time, can significantly lower the user's blood pressure. Therapy animals can be particularly helpful as blood pressure spikes during panic attacks, which is sometimes triggered by anxiety.

This study was reaffirmed in 2007 in a report released by the National Park Service on the benefits of using therapy pets to treat anxiety.

“Pet interaction, whether active or passive, tends to lower anxiety levels in subjects, and thus decrease the onset, severity or progression of stress-related conditions,” the report states. “It is thought that the reduction in blood pressure achieved through dog ownership can be equal to the reduction achieved by changing to a low salt diet or cutting down on alcohol.”

Holland senior Meg Wallaker has had her therapy cat since December 2014, when she was cleared to bring Willow into the residence halls. Wallaker adopted Willow when she was a kitten at the recommendation of her therapist.

“My doctor encouraged me to get a kitten because you bond better with them earlier in life. You’re their first relationship as a human,” she said. “I was able to bring up (Willow to campus) two or three weeks after I adopted her.”

When Wallaker has an anxiety attack, she begins to shake and usually experiences tunnel vision and shortness of breath. Willow aids her by serving as a “grounding point,” which helps bring Wallaker out of her panicked state.

“When I am having an anxiety attack, (Willow) will just crawl right into my lap, lay down and be there when I need her to be,” Wallaker said. “She’s something that I can just focus on, and grounds me. I can tell myself, ‘Hey, I’m going to be OK. I just need to breath and focus on (Willow) and this will pass in a few minutes.’”

The application process

Between 25 and 30 students attempt to complete paperwork to own a therapy pet in the residence halls said Lynne L’Hommedieu, director of Student Disability Services. As of March 25, she has 23 applications for therapy pets sitting on her desk from students who are in the process of completing the paperwork.

Of those students, only 15 to 20 percent complete the process, she said, which can take them anywhere from “a couple of weeks” to six months.

“My goal (with the paperwork process) is to keep everyone’s safety in mind, including the animal’s,” L’Hommedieu said. “(Students) are bringing an animal into a really tight living environment, maybe a bedroom (the owner) is sharing with one to three other people. We have to make sure the animal is going to be able to cope with this (and) the student understands what their responsibilities are with taking care of the animal.”

Darsow said because he was “determined,” the paperwork took less than two months to complete. He adopted Minx from the Isabella County Animal Shelter.

His parents weren’t thrilled at first when he told them he adopted a therapy cat, Darsow said. 

That all changed when his mother fell in love with Minx while Darsow completed the necessary paperwork for his cat to live in the residence hall.

Since meeting the cat, Darsow’s mother and father are both “incredibly supportive” of his need for a therapy animal, he said.

Therapy pets are commonly seen with students who have anxiety or depression, L’Hommedieu said. Since getting her, Darsow said Minx helps to stave off intense feelings of loneliness he gets during his panic attacks.

Once a student is approved, they must make sure Student Disability Services knows of their pet and provide up-to-date veterinarian records.

Any animal can be a therapy pet, L’Hommedieu said, so long as it weighs under 35 pounds and doesn’t cause an immediate danger to people in the residence hall. If a student who wants a therapy pet has a roommate who is allergic to animal fur, one of the two must move, L’Hommedieu said.

Taking care of a therapy pet adds a few extra steps to Darsow’s day. While he gets up and ready, he has to make sure to feed Minx and check her litter box before he leaves for class.

As required by Student Disability Services, Darsow locks Minx in her carrying crate while he’s not home so she doesn’t cause damage.

“She’s usually the thing that wakes me up most mornings by meowing or getting into things (in my room),” he said. “Minx is usually pretty good about not getting into too much trouble.”

Helping on and off campus

When living in the residence halls, Rochester Hills junior Jamie Fortin never knew obtaining a therapy pet could help her deal with depression.

In November, Fortin adopted Chewy, a chihuahua from the Isabella County Animal Shelter. Fortin said she can see a noticeable difference in her personality and mood since adopting the dog.

“When I moved into my own apartment, I got lonely,” she said. “It was my mother who suggested adopting a dog. A lot of the time, all (Chewy) does for me is snuggle and makes his presence known. With depression, I often feel alone. It’s good to have him just always there.”

Chewy is undergoing training at the Mount Pleasant Kennel Club to learn how to be a therapy dog. This involves six weeks of classes in which the dog is prepped for taking the Therapy Dog International test.

The class is available for dogs one year of age or older and costs $80 to attend. In order to be eligible to attend the class, an animal must first receive a “Canine Good Citizen certificate” from the shelter. This involves passing a basic obedience course, also offered by the kennel club.

Until he’s certified, Fortin must pay for Chewy as if he were a regular animal in an apartment. Campus Habitat, the complex she lives in, required her to pay a $300 deposit plus an additional $40 per month to keep the dog on the premise.

The additional pet fee will be waved, Fortin said, once Chewy completes his therapy dog training. And while Fortin has spent a lot of money on Chewy, she said every penny was worth it.

“Owning a therapy pet is a huge responsibility, but if your heart is in it, then you should do it,” Fortin said. “Chewy has changed who I am as a person. He definitely impacts pretty much everyone he meets.”

Darsow said students dealing with anxiety or depression should speak with their therapists about obtaining a therapy pet.

“A lot of people (might) know someone who has a therapy pet, but they don’t think it’s something they can (apply for),” Darsow said. “The process is a little bit rigorous and requires perseverance, but it’s not impossible. This isn’t an option that gets talked about a lot, so it’s important (students) know this so they can discuss with the right people if this is a (possibility) for them.”

To inquire about getting a therapy pet, Student Disability Services can be reached by phone at (989) 774-3018 or via email at sds@cmich.edu.


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About Jordyn Hermani

Troy senior Jordyn Hermani, Editor-in-Chief of Central Michigan Life, is a double major ...

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