Justina Siuba is the Stress Management Program Coordinator for Healthy Campus Initiatives, a branch of Student Health Services focused on holistic wellness and prevention services. In this interview, she is speaking for herself and on behalf of the health center’s new therapy dog, Indigo Barkenstocks.
HCSC: How did you choose the name Indigo Barkenstocks?
Justina Siuba: For the name Indigo, we wanted something that was South Carolina related, but we were trying to go outside of the box instead of the typical “Cocky” or “Caroline.” Indigo was one of the first cash crops of our state. It’s also a theme for campus therapy dogs to have ridiculous names, and that’s how we got Barkenstocks.
HCSC: What type of helping animal is she?
JS: Indy is not actually a service dog, she’s a therapy dog. Service dogs and therapy dogs are very different with regards to their rights; service dogs can go anywhere with their handler, while therapy dogs have restrictions. Service animals do not have to wear a vest, and people can ask limited questions about them. Service dogs are trained to help individuals with certain specific tasks, such as letting somebody know that a panic attack is coming on. Indy is a therapy dog, so she’s meant to be loved on and has a little bit more flexibility with petting, and she is not able to go into as many places as service dogs are. We do still strongly encourage people to ask before they pet her because she is a working dog.
HCSC: We know Indy’s been away at training since the start of the semester. What did she learn there?
JS: A lot of what she learned was behavioral cues, such as how to walk well on a leash, how to handle distractions in public and how to stop when she’s supposed to. She knows when she is supposed to stay in a specified area, even if it’s just a towel or a blanket. We’re still practicing some other tricks.
HCSC: What are her office hours going to look like?
JS: Indy will have office hours Monday-Thursday 3-4pm, and Friday 3:30-5pm. These will be held on the first-floor lobby of the Center for Health and Well-Being. This is the time for students to come and pet her and love on her. She also has wellness walks Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:30-11am and for these, students will meet outside the Center for Health and Well-Being.
HCSC: Why are campus therapy animals important?
JS: It’s important for us to have Indy because she helps to build social connections. She creates this opportunity, if two students have never met before, and they come to Indy’s office hours, now the student has gotten the chance to interact with Indy and somebody they may not have met otherwise. Students often get very homesick, and they miss their own dogs and are unable to have a dog here. Getting to interact with a friendly dog can help ease that homesickness. We’re also hoping that Indy’s office hours will help people become aware of our other stress management services on campus. Just interacting with dogs has been shown to help reduce stress. Indy’s just so happy and sweet, it’s hard not to smile when you’re around her.
HCSC: What is your role on campus?
JS: Besides being Indy’s mommy and handler full-time, I am the Stress Management Program Coordinator. My job is a whole lot of different things. I do wellness coaching with regards to stress management, I help lead some of our meditation and mindfulness offerings in the Meditation Oasis space, I do health outreach education with regards to stress management, and I’m a staff advisor for Changing Carolina Peer Leaders, as well as a few other student organizations. I think that’s pretty much everything.
HCSC: What are the rules for interacting with Indy?
JS: “Paws before you pet” is a slogan that we’ve been spreading on social media. We strongly encourage people to stop before you interact with any animal you see on campus. We want to be mindful of whether or not an animal is a service animal before petting. It’s important to ask before petting Indy because if she’s on a walk, she might only have a few minutes for a potty break, or she’s on her way somewhere. When she’s having office hours, that’s the time for petting and loving, but we do ask that you let her sniff your hand before you pet her and that you try not to pet her on her head.
Please be mindful of Indy’s well-being when you visit her. She’s very eager to meet everyone, but this is a new job for her, and she may need some time to adjust. You can follow Indy on Instagram to get updates and adorable pics, @indy_barkenstocks.