Puppy Power: Research investigates effects on first-year students
Whether you're an occupational therapy major or just find yourself spending time on campus, you've probably crossed paths with Orion and her handler Laura Poleshuck, a clinical associate professor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Nazareth. She is raising the female black labrador retriever puppy to be trained and matched as a guide dog for a person who's blind, but she also suspects it benefits college students to have a dog around — and she and her grad students are doing the research to investigate that theory. After completing puppy raiser training through Guiding Eyes for the Blind's Canine Development Center in Patterson, New York, she was connected with Orion. The black lab was only 6 weeks old — placed earlier than usual because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Poleshuck and her graduate students are conducting research to measure the impact of weekly interactions with a future guide dog on first-year students' mood, homesickness, and campus affinity. GPA and retention rates are being monitored.
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Julie Long | Chief PR Officer, | (585) 781-8186 | jlong2@naz.edu
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
First-year student Gabrielle Luthy with Orion.