Students line up to take pictures with dogs at Spooky Paws event

Daisy, and another dog name Daisy, Caileigh, Millie, Apollo and Panda were the six dogs at the Spooky Paws event on Halloween in the Student Commons.

St. John therapy ambulance brought the six dogs and dressed them up as spiders and pumpkins. Staff also used a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey for a costume.

The event happened in the AC Hub.

The dogs all had a big crowd of students gathered around them, especially one of the Daisys. Daisy is a great Pyrenees dog who loves the attention and people around her.

Daisy’s handler, Martin Davidson, said that Daisy was trained and she passed a test to become a therapy dog.

The dogs are all trained to be service dogs so they know how to react when there are loud noises and big crowds of people around them.

When Millie, a Belgian malinois, first took the test to become a service dog, she failed, said Leah Murphy, Millie’s handler.

“My dog failed the first time because she was too food motivated,” said Murphy.

Caileigh, an Irish setter, was dressed up in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey but she is not a fan of hockey, according to Christine Phillips, Caileigh’s handler.

“Caileigh doesn’t really like hockey because she hates when I yell. So, when she hears the music before puck drop she usually goes away,” said Phillips.

The event drew a big crowd as many students came to see the dogs and take pictures with them. One of the dogs, the other dog named Daisy, had a lineup of five or six people to take pictures.

For four of the dogs, their handlers gave out cards with descriptions of the dogs’ breeds, dates of birth and when they joined the club.

The dogs at the event were all trained to deal with anxiety. They help people relax and calm down when ever they are feeling down.

Caileigh was cuddling with students and taking pictures. She was a fan favourite.

“I noticed when she was quite young that she was a kind, loving dog,” said Phillips.