Fullerton Union High School Students Launch Therapy Dog Club for Mental Wellness

During finals week of my freshman year, I watched how some of my friends and I were stressed out and not being able to deal with it in healthy ways. It was an adjustment to high school trying to juggle rigorous classes and extracurriculars while figuring out new friendships and where you fit in.

We started sleeping less than normal, consuming too many energy drinks, and eating junk food out of convenience. It made me question how differently everyone responded to stress.

At the time, I was volunteering for Pet Partners in Orange County and observing pets during the certification process. These certified dogs and handlers would soon help people at hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and more. Knowing this and my love for my maltipoo, Kody, who gives me comfort everyday, led me to believe that this could be a beneficial program to my high school.

I co-founded and now serve as Co-President of Pause for Paws, a therapy dog club at my high school, Fullerton Union High School. At first, the school board denied animals on campus for the first two years due to various reasons including liability issues.

The “no” did not stop me and my co-founder from giving up. We have had countless meetings with admin, wrote up a club proposal and created waiver forms, researched multiple pet partner organizations, and the school district finally approved to pilot our first wellness event this past December.

It was an overwhelming success and over 95 students signed up to interact with the animals before finals week. Mental health counselors from five neighboring high schools were also in attendance and later expressed interest in adopting the program themselves.

Therapy animals are proven to help reduce stress and anxiety and with the rise in mental health concerns in teens, we knew it could make a big impact in our peers. With this success, I was able to expand Pause for Paws to a local nonprofit, Assisteens Charity League of Fullerton, where I currently serve on the board as Secretary. Therapy dogs and a mental health speaker will be coming to speak to the young girls ages 12-18 about topics like academic burnout and how to handle stress. Incorporating this to my community is important to me as I want to pursue pediatric mental health nursing when I graduate high school.

We are helping other students create the same program at their high schools by providing them Pause for Paws’ curated project proposal and the connections we have made from the past couple years. The program includes an introduction, who we are statements, benefits, proven results, the proposal, and how to partner with us, nonprofits, animal shelters, and the schools. Additionally, I have given my email to the mental health counselors at my school so that students who are interested in starting their own Pause for Paws are able to contact us for mentorship.