(Photographed by Staff Photographer Mariah Horvitz)
Managing Editor: Jesse Magnifico
Email: jmagnifico@umassd.edu
The second floor of the SENG building was exceptionally loud, drawing unusual traffic for a dreary Monday afternoon. It wasn’t just any Monday afternoon: March 6th marked an incredible day.
Gracie, the STEM Lab, turned five years old.
After resting from surgery, Gracie Peter, the Labrador Retriever, returns to campus in full spring with her newfound energy. She is a hardworking dog who provides comfort and joy to students, faculty, and staff full-time in the SENG building’s tutoring lounge, the STEM Lab, between 8 AM and 4 PM, five days a week.
She is more than qualified for the job: her Bachelor’s in Obedience Training, a Master’s in Canine Good Citizenship from the American Kennel Club, and a Doctorate in Therapy from Dog B.O.N.E.S. make Gracie the perfect candidate to curb stress and anxiety brought on by college and personal life events.
She is officially recognized as a staff member at UMassD, has her own UMass Pass, and appears in the 2021 yearbook.
With a happy-go-lucky personality and a face too cute, Gracie is a blessing to the UMassD community. Although a recent and ongoing discovery, umpteenth studies provide overwhelming evidence that dogs, even by merely petting them, significantly reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) and blood pressure and increase oxytocin (the hormone-producing positive feelings). The American Heart Association even recognizes it.
Dogs really are man’s best friend.
Gracie is not isolated to the STEM Lab. She and her human, Chris Peter, make rounds across campus at the request of a professor, especially during exam season. She also commonly appears in many events on campus that aim to soothe student stress and anxiety.
It’s important to stress that Gracie is a therapy dog, not an emotional support dog. Therapy dogs are specially trained to tend to a group of people, while emotional support dogs are not.
The great thing about Gracie is that you can still pay her a visit even if you are not stressed. You are welcome to come by the STEM Lab, say hello, give her a few good scratches, and be on your merry way. Chris knows Gracie lights up everyone’s day, and Gracie loves the attention, so she encourages all to stop by.
Celebrating her fifth birthday meant Gracie received more traffic and visits than usual. She didn’t mind; instead, she was exceptionally excited to hang out with the tutoring squad and all the visitors who stopped by to wish her a happy birthday.
The number of times students’ mouths dropped to the floor as they gasped in pure, raw delight at spotting Gracie was uncountable. That feeling penetrated the soul—it was sensed and experienced by all parties, reverberating across the room with each student who waltzed in and made eye contact with her.
That just goes to show Gracie’s impact on UMassD, moving the community beyond elation to just see her.
Gracie could barely contain her energy, and Chris had to be firm with her commands every now and then. She tried to reach for the sweets on the table several times but to no avail; she resorted to vacuuming crumbs off the floor, making the janitors’ lives a little easier.
Despite the commotion, the best birthday present had yet to come.
Sandy McConnell, a fellow 1997 UMD graduate who has gone on to start Southcoast Dog Training and Care, Inc., paid a special visit to the STEM Lab with Gracie’s best friends Homer and Bonnie, who are eight and three years old, respectively.
Sandy began her Southern Massachusetts and veteran-owned business more than seven years ago. Before working with dogs, she focused on instructional design and training, applying her expertise to train people in the military and among businesses. She currently trains Gracie to detect signs of low blood sugar levels associated with diabetes, as the disease runs in Chris’s family.
When Homer and Bonnie appeared at the door, Gracie’s tail wagged so fast it ran the risk of falling off. Her floppy ears bent backward, and she dropped to the floor with her butt sticking well in the air—the play position. A burst of zoomies was inevitable.
Homer and Bonnie were equally ecstatic to visit their friend, Bonnie nearly choking herself just to reach face-to-face with Gracie.
Both are Labradors Sandy owns and has/is training. They visit various institutions to put smiles on people’s faces and provide comfort, including hospitals, nursing homes, and even several events here on campus.
Homer is no longer a service dog because that life just wasn’t made for him; however, he still retains many of his commands and services. He can open doors by pulling them with a handy device that allows him to latch on, push buttons to open doors, pick up anything that falls onto the floor (besides paper), and carry objects to a person.
Sandy demonstrated Homer bringing Gracie’s favorite treats over to her. She also showed a video of him opening her fridge, grabbing a drink, closing the fridge, and placing the beverage in her hand.
From teaching basic commands to stopping dogs from jumping or pulling their leash and commands that tread service dog territory, Sandy does it all. She loves working with dogs, but more so the people involved.
Ironically enough, dog training boils down to training and working more with owners rather than the dogs themselves. “My background in instructional design and training truly led me to this,” she explains, a smile sweeping across her face. “It’s a nice change of pace to work with dogs, but then again, I’m mostly still working with people. It’s a win-win.”
All dogs learn and remember commands at different rates. The biggest factor of this phenomenon is generalization, which is the act of making sure the desired behavior is reproduced beyond the trainer’s voice and across environments. In Layman’s terms, no matter where the dog is or who commands them, the goal is for them to listen.
On average, it can take up to or more than six weeks to train a dog the basics. For service dogs like Homer, it can take two or more years, with a good chunk of training done in association between the client and dog, to accustom the two to each other.
All in all, Gracie’s birthday party was a hit. The five-year-old therapy dog received toys, treats, and a special birthday cookie to celebrate her big day. Everyone who worked at the center made legitimate appointments with tutors and came by to see Gracie. Everyone had a fantastic time. Gracie herself couldn’t be happier.
If you’d like to book an appointment with Gracie for emotional support services or to have a STEM tutoring session with a human, fill out the form found here.