WKU News

Leave it to a visit from a furry four-legged friend to make a college students’ stress melt away.

Since July, WKU’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences has been home to Chip the therapy dog.

He’s making a big impact on those he encounters as WKU's Amy Bingham shows us in this View from the Hill.

“I just want to hug him and hold him for the rest of my life.”

Freshman Jaime Dixon doesn’t hold back when it comes to her affection for Chip the Therapy dog after meeting him just moments ago.

“It’s been so long since I’ve touched a dog.  He brings me an immense amount of joy.  He’s just so cute and so little and fluffy.”

For Chip, the one-year-old, 16-pound Cavapoo, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and poodle mix, connecting with students is all in a day’s work.

“Monday through Friday, Chip has a job.”

“He’s very excited every morning to know that we are going to work.”

With hundreds of hours of training under his belt in his first ten months of life, Chip is well versed in providing therapy in a college environment.

“When you see him on campus, you’ll actually see him be very comfortable in places like the union where there’s a lot of activity.”

“He can just be walking down the hall calmly and you’ll see a student or a staff member whose face just lights up.”

He’s even been dubbed Professor Chip due to his prominent eyebrows.

“His presence is very faculty like, very distinguished and knowledgeable.”

Fitting since Chip spends time in the classroom making sure WKU is preparing future teachers to work with the growing number of therapy dogs now in school districts.

“We wanted to make sure that our students had both exposure and intentional content within their own programs of study around therapy dogs.”

But most of all, Chip is here to make the lives of those he encounters a little brighter.

“He brings the calm and he brings the joy and that’s his job.”

Dr. Murphy says Chip was bred with specific characteristics in mind including a smaller physical size and dander free hair so as not to cause allergies.