Cora Owens and Fozzie at the pinning and awards ceremony. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.
A future alumna of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry (near Gaston Avenue and Hall Street) will graduate on May 25 alongside her service dog Fozzie.
Fozzie is a 5-year-old standard goldendoodle and full-time service dog to Cora Owens, who will receive her bachelor’s degree on Sunday along with more than 20 other graduates of the dental hygiene program, according to a press release.
Owens was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 14 years old. Fozzie was brought on to help her after a series of health scares when her blood sugar dropped in her sleep and her glucose monitor didn’t wake her. Fozzie has been by Owens’ side ever since high school.
When Owens was welcomed into A&M University College of Dentistry, so was Fozzie.
“Everyone, faculty and students, loved him from the get-go,” Owens said in the press release. “They were accepting. They asked a lot of questions because they wanted to understand.”
But having Fozzie around posed a challenge to College of Dentistry professors on how to accommodate the service dog while maintaining an efficient learning environment. Of course, those who came in contact with Fozzie were told not to pet him while he was working or give him treats, which is standard protocol for service dogs. Owens was also situated in a low-traffic workspace to give Fozzie, a big dog, more room.
The bigger issue was figuring out how to protect Fozzie from harmful particles, germs and aerosols that may be present during clinical procedures. Though airborne particles and germs are kept to a minimum, some still exist and could have landed on Fozzie’s fur, which could have infected Owens and others. Students can keep themselves safe by wearing personal protective equipment during clinic sessions, but obviously, Fozzie can’t do that by himself.
“We had to gain a layout of the clinic and workspaces to understand where the best place was for Fozzie to sit during clinical procedures to be close enough to detect a medical concern but also far enough to reduce his exposure to aerosols,” Clinical Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator Brandy Cowen said in the press release.
So, Fozzie laid down on a disposable pad that was thrown away after each clinic session, and faculty members would decide whether he would be covered up with a disposable sheet when aerosols were present.
Fozzie, Cora Owens and a patient. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.
As for the College of Dentistry’s patients, they were given the option to work with another student dental hygienist if they were uncomfortable with Fozzie or dogs in general. However, only a few patients wanted to be reassigned, and some who were afraid of Fozzie became accustomed to him.
While Owens plans to leave Dallas and seek work in Waco after graduation, her service dog Fozzie seems to have left an impact on Texas A&M University College of Dentistry. Clinical Associate Professor and Interim Program Director Leigh Ann Nurick was so moved that she gave Fozzie her College of Dentistry alumni pin at last month’s pinning and awards ceremony.
“He deserved it,” Nurick said in the press release. “I can’t think of anyone I would rather share my alumni pin.”
Fozzie receiving a pin from Professor Leigh Ann Nurick, as Cora Owens and Jennifer Owens, her mother, look on. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.
