A longtime member of NAIT’s main campus is now retired. The school had a celebration on Wednesday for Flynn, the Australian labradoodle.
The therapy dog spent the last 10 years working in NAIT’s Paws for a Break program.
His handler, student counsellor Linda Shaw, says he’s been a fixture at the school during that time.
“We did research projects with him and other department areas. We did classroom visits and kind of hung out with students. Lots of students utilized him in their events,” she said.
“I’ve had students tell me they came to NAIT because he was here. I’ve had students tell me they stayed in a program because of the interaction they had with Flynn and realizing there were student supports available.”
While she says Flynn still enjoys his work, at 12 years old he’s ready for retirement.
She hopes another dog will follow in Flynn’s pawprints.
“The NAITSA (NAIT Student Association) office, they have a program with some dogs as well. So I think that might be the next step.”
NAIT has set up Flynn’s Fund, a dedicated mental health fund to help provide therapy, counselling and emotional support to students.
