BCU students benefit from service dogs-in-training

By DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
 
Finals week is approaching for Briar Cliff University students when they will populate Bishop Mueller Library to write papers, prepare for exams and pet a lovable Goldendoodle mix, Jagger.
 
No stranger to the students, Jagger is a fixture on campus, appears at athletic events and even has “office hours” on Tuesdays at the Student Health and Wellness Center. He is available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help students, staff and faculty de-stress.
 
Jagger’s temporary home is with Scott Griffith, assistant professor of business administration, and his wife Katie. Scott explained Jagger is the second BCU “service” dog. The couple’s first service dog – a Partners for Patriots dog – was Cliff. The Griffiths would bring the friendly Goldendoodle to campus to help him socialize with students and staff.
 
“Everyone would come by and de-stress with him. It was great training for him interacting with people that he doesn’t know,” the professor said. “Obviously, it’s great for the students and everyone who interacts with them.”
 
Soon the campus director of counseling, Therese (Teri) Copple, and nurse for the Health and Wellness Office, Jackie Volz, recognized the benefits a campus dog could bring to the BCU students.
 

Professor Scott Griffith with future service dog, Jagger

“The two of them, when they saw Cliff, they were the ones that really saw the opportunity and said it would be great if Cliff came here once a week. They would advertise it and the students could come in and de-stress. He could be very useful in that context for health and wellness,” Griffith said. “And we started doing that and Katie started bringing him over every week and it went from there.” 
Cliff went back to the Anthon-based Partners for Patriots group last summer for intensive training, but a new campus therapy dog would take his place. The Griffith family soon brought six-month-old Jagger home in July to develop his social skills for the non-profit agency.
 
Katie said she has been bringing Jagger onto campus especially during events for the dog and students to have the opportunity to interact.
 
“Lately, I’ve been sitting outside the cafeteria – a lot of kids know him. And we go to their games,” she said. “We have a lot of students who miss their dogs from home or are just lonely freshmen.”
 
Following the unexpected death of a student last year, Katie made extra efforts to have the dog on campus to interact with the students.
“I think it was helpful for them to sit and pet him. It helps them open up and talk,” she noted.
 
Partnership
The Griffiths first encountered Partners with Patriots when they were exploring opportunities to help their daughter navigate anxiety issues. Scott is an active duty military veteran of the U.S. Air Force and said he “always keep my eye on veterans’ charities,” and learned that nearby Partners for Patriots provides trained service dogs at no cost to veterans and their families.
 
Scott and Katie learned they would be eligible to receive a service dog from the non-profit agency to assist their daughter.

Jagger has office hours at the Health and Wellness Center

 
Their experience with Partners for Patriots and the trained dog “illustrated the kind of life-changing impact these dogs can have,” Scott explained.
 
The couple were moved by the impact of the non-profit’s work for veterans and soon volunteered to be “puppy raisers,” and temporarily housed and cared for Cliff before returning the dog for the next step in his training.
 
However, the partnership between Briar Cliff University and Partners for Patriots isn’t limited to the campus service dog presence. Scott pointed to the value that Jagger brings to the BCU students, especially in stressful situations.
 
“He’s been very therapeutic for them. We know that he’s helped a lot of students in tough times,” the professor said. “At the same time, we know that Partners for Patriots, like every non-profit, can use help.”
 
In the spring 2024 semester, Scott’s digital marketing students pitched in to give back to the non-profit by revamping their website.
 
“(They did) everything from layout to content, search engine optimization. We put a whole bunch of new landing pages in there,” he said. “The students actually were able to put some interviews together with veterans who’ve had partnerships with dogs … and place those on the website.”
 
In addition to the hands-on digital marketing experience, the BCU students also learned about how Partners for Patriots dogs improve the lives of veterans.

 

Emma Brenelli, sophomore international business and marketing student from Croatia snuggles with Jagger on campus.

“They got connected with this charity and they got to see how service dogs really, really impact the lives of veterans so positively,” Scott said. “(The veterans) have serious medical problems, psychological problems. Some of them will tell you very frankly that they were suicidal and when the Partners for Patriots dog came into their lives, it completely changed the game for them.”
 
Partners for Patriots board members were able to meet with the students at the end of the semester to review the finalized website and express first-hand their appreciation of the students’ work.
 
“It brings home that this isn’t just an on-paper assignment. They really are making a difference for a very important organization,” Scott pointed out.
 
As the Briar Cliff students prepare for an intense final exam week Dec. 9 to 13, they will have a furry friend nearby to support them.
 
“He makes appearances at the library during finals week … that’s where the students are really stressed out and having a little dog time can really help them,” Scott said.

Learn more about Partners for Patriots here.