The week of May 3rd – 5th is finals week at the University of Connecticut School of Business, and Summer, a Certified Therapy Dog came to offer her special brand of help to students.

Summer’s handler, Kathy Hendrickson, works in the School of Business Career Center and is also an instructor at the School.  The Career Center staff sees first-hand the stress that students feel at the end of the semester with regard to finishing classes and landing jobs.  However, as Summer sashayed into the department’s suite and held court on Tuesday and Thursday, the compassion and gentle soul of this six-year old golden retriever gave students a refreshing break to the week.

“Some of the students were showing signs of stress, and it really was a value to them to come sit with Summer for five minutes or even half an hour,” notes Kathy Hendrickson. There was one small hiccup on Tuesday when Summer found a small stream during lunch and proceeded to roll in the mud while Kathy and fellow Career Center staff member Lorraine Liswell ineffectively tried to change her mind.  Summer, and Kathy’s shoes for that matter, were rather fragrant during the afternoon hours, but no one seemed to mind.