麻豆传媒

For the past six months, students in Wichita State鈥檚 Military and Veteran Student Center in Lindquist Hall have been falling in love with Riley, a Rhodesian Ridgeback / lab rescue dog adopted by center director Sarah Sell.

Riley is being trained as a therapy dog and will complete certification next spring.

The goal, Sell says, is to use 3-year-old Riley to help relieve anxiety and stress among veteran and active-duty military students.

鈥淓ven petting a dog can lower your heart rate and blood pressure and give you a moment of peace,鈥� Sell says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really important for our students who are coming in before a test or after a test that didn鈥檛 go so well. Having that experience to cuddle or bond with an animal is really helpful.鈥�

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