LRC holds AAE activities on Feb Fair 2025 week

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) held a series of Animal-Assisted Education (AAE) activities during the UPLB February-Fair Week 2025. Resident and guest therapy dogs made delightful appearances during the week, bringing joy to around 350 UPLB constituents. The activities were held from February 10-14 at the  LRC main office.

The “May FURever! A Furry Valentine Celebration of the FebFair,” now in its second year, provided students with an avenue to learn more about the university’s Animal-Assisted Intervention program. 

The participants took pictures and interacted with a featured dog per day. Participants were given free candies and dog stickers as a token for their visit. 

For Day 1, LRC Fur Staff Patches, a two-year-old Chihuahua, was assigned with her handler, Nishika Angelienne Cruz, a student taking up Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Two-year-old Pomeranian and PAWtner-in-Training Skippy happily welcomed the visitors on the second day with her handler, Karla Marijoy Tan-Dia of the Office of Student Housing. 

Therapy Dog Mattie, a three-year-old Border Collie, was featured on day 3 with her handler Gabriel Escultos, a BS Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering alumnus. LRC Fur Staff Sylvie, a two-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, with her handler Justin Earl Bernardo (BS Applied Mathematics alumnus), capped the celebration with her appearance and fun engagements with the students. Visitors were also generous in giving donations for the PAWtner animals’ treats.

On February 13, Guest PAWtner Georgie, a one–year–old Pembroke Welsh, made an appearance for a special PAWs for A Break session with the students. He was joined by his handlers Katherine Loren Tan and Cyrez Ronquillo, alumni of the Institute of Computer Science. Students enjoyed taking photos with Georgie, with some taking the challenge of carrying the 20-kilogram Corgi. Georgie proudly showed his tricks to the students.

Valentine’s Day was the perfect moment to conduct the Center’s first PAWS and PLAY Session with the five 3-month-old puppies of LRC Fur Staff Bobbi, collectively dubbed the LRC Corgi Squad. Their handlers, Von Dela Cruz and Philip Ian Verina, ensured the puppies’ well-being during the activity. 

This is the puppies’ first official face-to-face activity in LRC after they were introduced to the public online last January. The students were also informed of the final chosen names of the puppies, collated from suggestions online: Junior, Princess, Dottie, Elphie, and Rocket. 

Pre-registered students played and had fun with the energetic puppies. Strict health protocols were implemented to ensure the safety of the puppies and the participants. LRC Fur Staff Bobbi also interacted with the students.

LRC also participated in a special video shoot on February 11 with the UP Media and Public Relations Office for the institutional video of the UP system. The team featured the Center’s AAE program, its rationale, and its overall impact on the UPLB constituents. LRC Fur Staff Sylvie and Bobbi, including one of the puppies, Junior, were present in the shoot together with their handlers and LRC’s student assistants.

University Research Associate and Fur Staff supervisor Joshua Michael Jonas conducted this series of events with the Center’s student assistants, fur staff assistants, and volunteers from the AAI program. 

According to one of the participants, Markus Philippe Tan (BS Human Ecology), “It was a fun and “pawsome” experience getting to bond with the dogs even for a short while. It was nice and heartwarming to have fur friends who made me forget about my problems for a moment.”