Pause for PAWS: therapy dogs come to Saddleback during finals week

Orange County Animal Allies volunteer Diana Theron with therapy dog Sierra at Saddleback’s Pause for PAWS event.  Lila Mukasa | Lariat

Pause for PAWS, an event sponsored by nonprofit organization Orange County Animal Allies, took place at Saddleback College by the main LRC entrance Dec. 16.

The event was part of the PAWS program, which is made up of volunteers who bring their therapy dogs to locations including colleges and schools to “provide therapy, to allow people to touch and hug them,” said volunteer Diana Theron.

A main goal of the program is to reduce stress and anxiety among people who interact with the dogs, Theron said.

“We’ve had a ton of people,” Theron said, reflecting on the event’s popularity with Saddleback students. These included students in the midst of final exams “coming to hug the dogs and touch them, to provide a little comfort before and after the exam,” she said.

Volunteers in the program handle their personal dogs, who are required to be obedient, sociable with people and other dogs and non-aggressive to qualify for the program, Theron said. It’s also important that the dogs don’t exhibit anxiety while providing therapy services, she said.

Some students found the event useful as a distraction from stress.

“Even just one minute of petting the dogs, you kind of forget about everything, and you’re just interacting with an animal and you just forget about the exams for a second,” said second year health sciences major Andrew Alvarado. “I’d say it’s a good stress reliever.”

Similarly, Pause for PAWS provided a distraction from stress for first year nursing student Remy Alvarez. The event provided a way to shift her focus to the therapy dogs rather than the stress she was feeling, she said. 

The event was a way to decompress after taking finals for second year health sciences major Kyle Dajoya. “It’s really fun,” she said. “Especially after the finals because studying for finals is really stressful.”

This was Saddleback’s second Pause for PAWS event of the semester. The previous event was held Dec. 12.

In addition to colleges, PAWS visits other locations within the community. 

The program visits John Wayne airport to provide comfort to travelers, pilots and staff who may be experiencing stress, said Theron. 

Additionally, the program makes monthly visits to residents at Trabuco Oaks Post-Acute Care, a Lake Forest nursing home, said volunteer Cynthia McCartan.

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