By: Alexis Stallard, Editor-In-Chief
Newman may add dog poop bag stations around campus over the summer as part of a bill that the Student Government Association will vote on next week.
Sophomore Matthew Revels, who says he is proposing the bill to make the campus more dog friendly, has also been working to establish a therapy dog program at Newman for students’ benefit. The proposed program, called Goose’s Therapy Pals, is still in the early stages of planning, but Revels said the poop bag stations are a step in the right direction.
“Our hope is that it will make Newman a more dog-friendly campus and promote handlers to pick up their dog’s poop so we can keep having the dogs back while keeping our campus beautiful,” Revels said.
The bill he is proposing will be presented to the Student Government Association senate for approval next week. Revels is asking for three of the stations to be put wherever the university chooses on campus. The poop bag stations cost about $130 each, so the bill is asking SGA for $400. The cost to keep them stocked is not known, but Revels said he is looking into getting donations from Earth Rated, a pet supplies company.
The stations wouldn’t just be for the benefit of the therapy dog program, though. Revels, who also is an SGA senator, said he has spoken to several faculty members who showed interest in the stations, saying they would feel more inclined to bring their dogs to campus on the weekends.
Revels will be taking another step toward making the therapy dog program a reality this summer by adopting a golden retriever, which he plans to name Goose. He is staying in the dorms over the summer break to train the dog and get it acquainted with campus. His ultimate goal for the program is to invite other students to become handlers and to have a resident dog in each dorm hall. Then, students would be able to “check out” the dog if they needed companionship.
Any students wishing to help with the program as a handler can contact Revels at revels596544@newmanu.edu, and he encourages students to give Goose a warm welcome in the fall.
Photo: Courtesy Photo, Unslpash
