THERAPY DOGS BRING SMILES; REDUCE CADET STRESS

By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Cadet 3rd Class Nicolina Brown said she loves Go Team Therapy Crisis and Airport Dogs so much that she has a perfect answer whenever she’s late meeting friends.

“I say, ‘you can’t blame me; there was a dog,’” Brown said.

For 12 years, therapy dogs from Go Team have regularly visited the Academy. They provide smiles, stress relief and comfort. As freshmen adapt to the rigors of cadet life, they find reprieve through interactions with the dogs.

“I love seeing dogs,” Brown said. “They calm me down because I struggle to ask for help. You don’t have to ask the dog; you just pet it. When you’re stressed out, and you feel you’re at your worst, dogs still love to see you.”

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Photo Credit: Rayna Grace