By CHARLOTTE HIGGINS & MARISSA GALARDI

Smiles fill the Skutt Student Center as students and faculty alike are greeted by a wagging tail and a wet nose. It’s a lively day for Creighton University — and a special pup is there to say hello.

Today’s furry friend is Cocoa the Counselor, a 6-year-old chocolate lab. As students walk by, Cocoa receive ear scritches, belly rubs and the occasional hug. Cocoa’s not the only dog on campus, though, as she’s joined by Mo, Ernie and the late Iggy — the past, present and future therapy dogs of Creighton.

Iggy the Advocate, the late therapy dog of Creighton’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Center, was a goldendoodle who loved to go to work every day.

“Students would just be walking down the mall, looking down at their phones, and then they would look up and see Iggy and there was just this light in their eyes,” said Meredith Lierk, Iggy’s former owner and director of the VIP Center.

Iggy passed away last March at the age of 10 from complications with cancer.

“As much joy as he brought to others, they brought him so much joy,” Lierk said. “And I think that that’s one of the things that will always stay with me my whole life was how much love was given and received in that relationship — especially with Creighton students.”

The current therapy dog on campus, Cocoa, is a licensed therapy dog with her own Instagram account that promotes mental health. 

“We encounter one or two or sometimes three people that will say, ‘Now I can get through the afternoon,’ after they’ve had some physical contact with her,” said Michael Kelley, Cocoa’s owner and psychologist at Student Counseling Services. “She just makes it so easy.”

While many recognize Cocoa’s brown fur and trot, few know the story of how she came to be a therapy dog.

Kelley got Cocoa when she was just 1-year-old from a Craigslist advertisement. Kelley chose Cocoa to be a therapy dog because of her fearless and affectionate attitude, he says.

“She seems like an old lady,” said Maddie Moore of her calm temperament, Cocoa’s social media manager and a mental health therapist at Creighton’s counseling center.

While Cocoa is the only therapy dog on campus right now, there are more to come.

Mo, an 11-month-old bernedoodle, and Ernie, a 7-month-old goldendoodle, are aspiring therapy dogs who hope to help students as Cocoa and Iggy have.

“The goal is that they’re able to pick up on the emotions and sensations that people are feeling and be able to provide that emotional comfort,” said Lierk.

Therapy dogs are growing in popularity across college campuses for their ability to reduce student anxiety at low costs and ability to provide “uncomplicated love.”

Moore says there’s a science behind the physical touch of therapy dogs.

“The physical touch is important,” Moore says, “We get an oxytocin release in our brains when we get to interact with pets. It allows people to feel joyful and playful.”

Jenna Ampulski, a psychology student at Creighton University, seconds the science.

“It’s comforting to have something that gives you attention and love without conditions,” says Ampulski. “It’s the same science and reasoning behind an emotional support animal.”

With student stress on the rise, one thing is clear: dogs like Iggy, Cocoa, Mo and Ernie provide some much-needed puppy love for Creighton students.