Stressed About Finals? Hank the Stress Paws Dog is Here to Help

HALO, The Human Animal Link of Oklahoma, a local non-profit organization that hosts Stress Paws, an event for students, is held at the Max Chambers Library’s first floor at UCO from 3 to 5 pm, as a way for students under academic or general stress to pet dogs.

HALO partners with UCO to host an event every Thursday during the spring and fall semesters. 

“Hank here is a ten-year-old Great Pyrenees Rescue who has been a therapy dog for about eight years, and he visits UCO, hospitals, schools, airports, and libraries”, said Teri Ashworth, who is a current volunteer of HALO and pet owner of Hank.

“I adopted Hank when he was just five months old. He loves attention and loves people.” Teri has been a volunteer of Stress Paws with Hank for eight years.

HALO was started by a special education teacher who always had her German Shepherd in her classroom.

“She saw the benefit that it had on the kids in her classroom, so she started this organization to expand the reach of therapy dogs”, Teri said. 

HALO has about 60 teams within its organization, with more therapy dogs joining over time. Stress Paws, which is an event that is sponsored by HALO, is open to everyone, including students and non-students.