Desiree Carver | The Valdosta Daily TimesDr. Lois Bellflowers is the owner of Minnie, a therapy dog that helps nursing students 'de-stress.'

By Desiree Carver

desiree.carver@gaflnews.com

VALDOSTA – Nurses have played a pivotal role during the pandemic, making nursing students more determined, and more stressed.

Dr. Lois Bellflowers, Valdosta State University assistant professor of nursing, noticed the stressors her students encounter, even prior to COVID-19, and thought her 4-year-old Goldendoodle, Minnie, might be able to help.

Bellflowers’ daughter has a service dog, and when Minnie was about 2, Bellflowers noticed she’d been picking up on training from her daughter’s dog.

Calling her a dog that “loved to be loved,” Bellflowers’ initial plan was to bring Minnie to K-12 education, but then thought “What would she do for our higher ed students?”

“Who doesn’t relax when they rub on a fluffy puppy?” Bellflowers said.

Turns out, Minnie does wonders for the college seniors and the other classes she visits just by simply being present and allowing them time to interact with her, Bellflowers said.

Senior Isabelle Ekstam is one of Minnie’s many fans in the classroom.

“Dogs are just amazing animals to have around,” Ekstam said. “She kind of lightens your load and definitely makes an impact on relaxing you. Gives you a chance to focus on something else other than the class itself.”

Ekstam echoed Bellflowers sentiments about the importance of nursing during this time.

“You know how influential being in the nursing field (is) when it comes down to graduation. We are most likely going to be entered in the field right away and that’s a lot of pressure,” Ekstam said. “We want to help others and save lives at the end of the day.”

Bellflowers hopes Minnie’s comfort will not only serve as a reprieve but will remind students about the importance of self-care, a trait that can also translate to their future patients.

Minnie’s training did not include any specifics about seeking out students who seem more stressed than others but Bellflowers said several students have reported they feel she has an intuition as to who needs her the most.

While Minnie enjoys being around the students as much as they enjoy her, Bellflowers said the pandemic didn’t just affect the students; it affected how Minnie viewed people.

“Minnie is responding differently to people with masks so the students see this (pandemic) is not my imagination there is something hard to adapt to about this,” Bellflowers said. 

These current seniors may soon be working nurses but the dynamic duo of Bellflowers and Minnie plan on comforting students for years to come.