Petting Away Exam Stress with Help from Marley

Madison Weikle, staff writer

The PVCC Student Success Office in collaboration with the SGA hosted the Pet Away Stress event from April 23-25, 2018. The event kicked off with free food and coloring pages in the student center and ended outside with stress-ball making and socializing with Marley Urban, a local therapy dog.

“Marley is a nickname for Albemarle,” explained Amanda Urban, Marley’s owner. “His name is actually Albemarle, but we call him Marley for short.”

Marley has been a therapy dog since Nov. 17, 2017. He works with children at local elementary schools where the students read to him every week.

Urban said, “Marley is my third Bernese Mountain dog; I’ve always been interested in having a therapy dog. So I asked the breeder for a dog who had the disposition to be therapy dog, and Marley was perfect.”

As students walked by the event, many stopped to give Marley a quick pet while others layed down and cuddled with him.

Advisor Deanne Browning, who helped organize the event, said, “Everyone who walks by can’t help but smile.”

Browning was right, even the students who did not stop to pet Marley looked back with huge smiles just at the presence of a canine pal on campus.

Urban believes having a therapy dog on campus helps ease students’ stress greatly.

She said, “Anything that gives students a chance to take a break and reduce stress can be helpful.”