Students relax with therapy dogs at AMWA event

By Melanie Pace | Broadcast Reporter

Students had the chance to relax with therapy dogs from Angel Paws on Wednesday night in Teal Residence Hall as part of an event hosted by the American Medical Women’s Association.

Sandy Wittliff is president of Angel Paws. Wittliff said three months in the hospital with a broken hip showed her just how hard it is to go without puppy love.

“There was a while there when I was in isolation, so I couldn’t have any dog friends come in,” Wittliff said. “I really can relate to when you guys are all sad and missing your pets at home.”

She said she has difficulty walking because of her surgery, but her dogs love her unconditionally.

“They don’t look at me like there’s something wrong with me,” Wittliff said. “It just makes me feel a little bit more normal.”

Wittliff said it does not matter if a dog is hers or not, because getting to pet a dog you do not know is just as comforting.

Frisco senior Janani Srikanth is co-president of AMWA. She said the dogs made for a stress-free environment for students to get to know more about the organization.

“Most people enjoy being around dogs, and especially therapy dogs that are equipped to handle stressful college students lives,” Srikanth said.