Dogs add sunshine to student’s lives, not just the recent warm April weather.
At the ISUB Plaza on Wednesday, April 21, four therapy dogs arrived to receive love and pets from the passing students.
Kutya, a 10 or 11-year-old Border Collie, is a rescue dog from a shelter in Oregon. She lives with her owner, Debbie Bikfasy in Pullman.
She enjoys doing all sorts of things from agility and obedience courses to barn hunting. Barn hunting is when a small area is chosen to hide tubes, one with a live rat and another with rat litter, within stacked hay or straw bales. The dogs are tested to see whether they can find the live rat.
Another activity Kutya used to enjoy was fast cat, which is a 100-yard dash in a straight line where the dogs are timed. She doesn’t do this activity anymore because she’s getting along in years.
Bikfasy’s favorite thing about her dog is her willingness to do everything she tells her to do.
Piper, a three-year-old chocolate Labrador, is from a breeder in Yakima. She lives in Pullman with her owner Kathleen Rodgers.
Rodgers has had her since she was a puppy. Piper loves to fetch, run through the fields and swim. Rodgers says she’s very much a sweetheart who loves to snuggle.
Her favorite thing about Piper is how smart she is. She’ll pick up socks left around the house every morning, it’s become a ritual, and carries them around or brings slippers to Rodgers when asked. Piper hasn’t chewed on anything, even as a puppy.
Cider, a seven-year-old Shetland Sheepdog, is adopted and has been a pet therapy dog for five years. Susie Gormsen adopted her as a 1-year-old.
Gormsen’s favorite thing about Cider is her constant, faithful companionship, especially during the pandemic. Cider enjoys lying in the sun, going for walks and hanging out with Gormsen no matter what she’s doing.
When asked by one of the students if she owned Cider, Gormsen’s response was “she owns me actually.”
March, a 13-month 90% Labrador and 10% Golden, is a service dog in training from Santa Rosa. She’s one in a litter of 12.
She doesn’t have an owner since Canine Companions for Independence owns them. These dogs live with volunteer puppy raisers that teach them foundational training. They learn 42 commands and are socialized in all kinds of environments.
These volunteers receive them at eight weeks old and keep them until they’re around 18-20 months old. Then, they go back to headquarters for another phase of training that’s more professional for six months. After professional training, the organization decides what kind of service job they will perform.
March enjoys sleeping and snuggling and loves to play with the younger pups. She has a sweet and mild temperament.
Renee Piper, the owner, founder and area coordinator of Palouse Paws, brought March to enjoy some attention and pets from the students. She isn’t March’s raiser.
Piper likes how these dogs can provide comfort to people at different levels. She said it’s been a gift to bring the dogs to visit students to help them destress.
She is glad they can provide support for the community, the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
Kim Stager can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @journalismgoals