These golden retrievers help nursing students cope with academic pressure

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (InvestigateTV) - Between exams, clinicals and sleepless nights, nursing students face a lot of pressure. At Galen College of Nursing in Louisville, some students find relief from two lovable dogs.

Henry and Maisy, two English Cream Golden Retrievers, have become unofficial therapy dogs for students struggling with the demands of nursing school.

The dogs belong to Jim Hack, senior facilities manager at Galen College. His main job is maintaining the building, but he discovered his pets had a different calling.

“Henry is just a big love bug,” Hack said. “Maisy is younger and is needy.”

Hack brought the dogs to work one day and noticed how students reacted.

“They all ran over they put their books down they just start petting them and that’s when I went... this is kinda cool. That wasn’t the initial intention, it’s kind of evolved to that,” Hack said.

The dogs now have official ID badges and know their way around campus. Students say the animals provide crucial emotional support during stressful moments.

“They are amazing. Especially when you come and you are really scared. Today, we have sim lab it’s so stressful you go in and people watch you and the dogs are here and you are ...ah! It’s okay. They make everything better for a little,” said Savannah Price, a nursing student said.

For Hack, providing comfort to future nurses is personal. His wife is a nurse, and when their daughter was young, nurses supported his family during a difficult time.

“My daughter when she was 14 was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. It was a pretty hard diagnosis we mostly lived with her at Kosair Hospital for almost 3 years and while you are there and for extended periods the nurses become your family you laugh together, you cry together, and you get very attached to them,” Hack said.

Sharing Maisy and Henry is his way of saying thank you to the nursing profession.

“If you are having a rough day they can just tell you don’t have to express it and they are just there. I think it’s the best thing,” Hack said.

The dogs do leave behind some evidence of their visits.

“I buy the lint rollers by the case,” Hack said. “We call it golden glitter!”

Students and staff don’t mind the extra hair. The dogs provide a reminder that compassion matters for both patients and caregivers.

“They are just as happy to see us as we are to see them,” Price said.

Hack said the dogs have such busy days at work that they sleep well when they get home.