Each week, a wave of students navigate to Buntrock Commons to greet Marney, a Golden Retriever. She, and many animals like her, come to St. Olaf College every Thursday as part of the Wellness Center’s Paw Program.
Zoe Zaruba ’26, a psychology major and the new manager of the Paw Program, coordinates with animal volunteers and their handlers and welcomes the students arriving to see the Ole pets. Although this is Zaruba’s first year running the Paw Program, she’s already fully embraced the role.
“The Wellness Center said, ‘We need a new person to figure out all the logistics,’ and I just jumped in.” Zaruba says. “I already love it.”
While there have only been a handful (or paw-ful!) of Paw Programs this fall semester, Zaruba has already witnessed the positive effects the program has on students.
“I love seeing how rewarding it is for both the community and the individual student’s mental health,” Zaruba says. “Just to take a break, and to be with each other and a dog, and sit down.”
Mara Caldwell ‘27, a regular attendee — and now occasional volunteer — agrees.
“The Paw Program is such a fun time to meet new people and decompress,” she says. “People really miss their pets, and being able to visit someone else’s really helps with homesickness and adjusting to school.”
Caldwell adds that the Paw Program provides an opportunity for anyone, but especially first-years, to make new friends as well.
“I’ve seen people bring their friends too, and then they meet other people, and build friendships with even more people,” Caldwell says “It’s honestly been really cool to see, and it helps people really come together.”
The Wellness Center started the Paw Program to support students’ mental well-being. In addition to the benefits of animal-person contact with service animals, Zaruba believes there is something special about interacting with non-trained, ordinary pets as well.
“There is a [psychological] thing with trained service dogs — they just lay there letting you pet them — and that has been proven to be very beneficial,” Zaruba says. “But I honestly think that it’s also great to have a dog who is so excited [to be here], because if you’re a student who’s been feeling really lonely or stressed — that one moment is such a boost to your day and how you feel about yourself.”
St. Olaf Payroll Specialist Keri Peterson has been bringing a golden lab mix named Roberta to the Paw Program for two years now, and shares a similar sentiment to Zaruba.
“I think the program’s a really important thing for the students,” Peterson says. “They’re going through a lot of changes very quickly, and having a dog around for a little bit can really bring down stress and anxiety.”
Students share similar experiences, and attest to the Paw Program helping them to adjust to campus living.
“The Paw Program absolutely helped with my homesickness,” Amanda Hallet ‘28 says. “A big part of my homesickness last year was missing my dog. Just being able to see and make new connections with new dogs every week, and strengthen friendships with people too – it’s been really helpful.”
Looking ahead, Zaruba is looking to expand the program.
“I would really love to do some community outreach and have families or community members be able to bring their pets and interact with students,” she says. “Students having meaningful interactions with families and community members — I think that would be really nice.”
She recalled an interaction she had with a couple on campus.
“It was the beginning of last year, and there was an older couple walking their dog, and they said, ‘We walk our dog on campus specifically because we love students, and they love to come up and pet our dog.’ I feel like that’s exactly the point of the program.”
