Therapy dog program

Spend some time with our friendly therapy dogs at the Wellness Lounge – it’s a great way to de-stress from your busy student schedule.

The Therapy Dog program is made available at the University of Ottawa through the department of Health Promotion, in partnership with St. John's Ambulance, Canadian Therapy Dog Support Services and other local therapy dog organizations. The program starts in September and runs until the end of March.

What to expect from a therapy dog session

Therapy dogs can have a beneficial impact on both mental and physical health. Studies have shown that a friendly interaction with an animal (e.g., petting) helps lower blood pressure, reduce overall pain and ease feelings of loneliness, anxiety and depression. Therapy dogs can also help you cope with homesickness while away at university.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs. Therapy dogs successfully complete an evaluation, along with their owner, to ensure they are suitable to take part in session on campus and help improve your wellness. Therapy dogs volunteer with their owner to offer animal-assisted therapy to many people. Apart from visits on campus, they also volunteer at many other health care and social service settings.
Therapy dog sessions take place in a controlled, safe environment to ensure the safety of all participants and therapy dog teams.

Schedule

Registration is required for the sessions taking place at the UCU Wellness Lounge. Check out the schedule. Please note that you can only register two weeks before your preferred session date.

Register for Therapy Dog

Registration is required.

Fall 2026 Schedule

Date	Time
September 24	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
October 1	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
October 8	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
October 22	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
October 29	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
November 5	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
November 12	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
November 19	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
November 26	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
December 3	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
December 10	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Winter 2027 Schedule

Date	Time
January 21	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
January 28	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
February 4	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
February 11	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
February 18	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
February 25	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
March 4	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
March 11	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
March 18	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
March 25	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
April 8	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
April 15	1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Drop-in sessions.

Fall 2026 Schedule

Date	Time
September 22	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
October 13	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
October 27	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
November 10	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
November 24	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
December 8	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Winter 2027 Schedule

Date	Time
January 26	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
February 9	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
February 23	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
March 9	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
March 23	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
March 30	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
April 13	11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Interested in having a session at your faculty/service?

We are currently not accommodating private bookings for therapy dog sessions. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

Meet the dogs

Crush

Golden retriever

Organization: Canadian Therapy Dog Support Services / "Just Paws"

Fun Facts: Crush is a 6.5-year-old Golden Retriever who absolutely loves the water.

Louis

Grand champion Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Organization: Canadian Therapy Dog Support Services / "Just Paws"

Fun Facts: Louis loves competing and excels in many different sports.

Praline

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Organization: Canadian Therapy Dog Support Services / "Just Paws"

Fun Facts: Praline loves to do scent work and tracking.

Ripley

White shepherd mix

Organization: Canadian Therapy Dog Support Services / "Just Paws"

Fun Facts: Coming soon

Fergus and Sam

King Charles Spaniel

Organization: Canadian Therapy Dog Support Services / "Just Paws"

Fun Facts: Coming soon

Gobibear

Lagotto Romagnolo

Fun facts: I’m Gobibear, a three-year-old sand-coloured lagotto Romagnolo. I’m pretty smart, but I’ve also got a silly side. Crashing my skateboard into the kitchen appliances? Classic move. I love doing search and rescue work, especially helping find lost pets. It feels good to put my nose to work! I also spend time hunting mice in the orchard (they never see me coming) and picking up cool new tricks. Right now, I’m training hard for my Expert Trick Dog title.

Zippo

Brown lagotto Romagnolo

Fun facts: My name’s Zippo, and I’m a four-year-old lagotto Romagnolo with a snazzy white and brown coat. People say I was trained to be a truffle hunter (and I am pretty good at it), but I love therapy work even more. Making people smile is kind of my superpower. When I was a pup, I had this white teddy bear I carried everywhere. I even made sure to keep it clean. I used to sit right in the middle of the room, quietly waiting for someone to give me a nice pat. That’s when Anne realized I might just be perfect as a therapy dog. I live with Anne on a lovely farm. It’s the best! I get to chase mice in the orchard (so fun!) and snack on fallen apples when no one’s looking.

Becoming certified with a Therapy Dog program

Are you interested in becoming a certified therapy dog team? If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].

Learn more about therapy dog certifications

What to expect from a therapy dog session

Schedule

UCU Wellness Lounge arrow_drop_down

90U Wellness Lounge arrow_drop_down

Interested in having a session at your faculty/service?

Meet the dogs

Becoming certified with a Therapy Dog program