With each brisk step, a fluffy, loving friend leaves a trail of happiness on Marquette University’s campus. Winnie, the adored therapy dog in the College of Nursing, regularly goes on walks with the group who calls themselves “Winnie’s crew.”
Rain or shine, students walk Winnie around campus three times a week. With six one-hour slots available each day, Winnie spends a total of 18 hours on walks.
Winnie extends a warm welcome to everyone she meets, immediately wagging her tail and running up to people to be pet. Once on her leash, Winnie instantly heads toward the door, bumping her nose onto students’ hands as she walks by.
“She’s the best; just very sweet and loving and very gregarious, always happy to see people,” Christine Schindler, Winnie’s owner and a clinical professor in the College of Nursing, said.
To the nursing community, Schindler said Winnie adds “warmth and homeyness.”
Madison Turcinovic, a sophomore in the College of Nursing, said Winnie helps relieve school-related stress that she and her friends are experiencing.
“I look forward to walking Winnie because she is always so happy to see everyone,” Turcinovic, said.
While Winnie calls the College of Nursing home, any student can take her on a walk.
“A lot of the students feel like she’s everybody’s dog,” Schindler said.
Schindler and her family adopted Winnie in 2024 to have as a family pet. Schindler quickly realized, though, that Winnie could create a unique sense of community within the College of Nursing.
After seeing a therapy dog in a hospital, Schindler knew her own puppy had the personality to be one, so Winnie began training when she was almost six months old.
To become a therapy dog, Winnie had to go through multiple stages of obedience training, pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test and join a therapy dog organization to complete the necessary requirements.
Now, Winnie is trained to behave and follow basic commands on her walks with students.
Those walks, and even brief interactions, can increase students’ endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine.
The feedback Schindler gets from students proves her instincts are true — Winnie does make a great therapy dog.
In an anonymous survey, students were asked what their favorite part of having a therapy dog in the College of Nursing is:
- “She is so sweet and loving. Always puts a smile on your face even if you’re having a tough day.”
- “The ability to focus on something other than school and just being present in the moment with her makes me happy.”
- “This offered me a time to relax, take care of myself mentally by stepping away from work, and physically by getting me out and walking her!”
- “Our college mascot!”
Several students have built relationships with Winnie and walk her regularly. Schindler said Winnie gets especially excited when she recognizes certain students.
“We have such great students here,” Schindler said. “I trust them completely. They take just as good care of her as I would.”
Reconnecting with nature and spending time with Winnie can be peaceful for some students; that is, until she spots a squirrel.
Abby Jens, a sophomore in the College of Nursing, shared her favorite memory while walking Winnie with Turcinovic.
“We were walking down the stairs of the Joan of Arc Chapel and Winnie got very excited when she saw a squirrel and ran down the stairs, making me almost fall down,” Jens said. “We all laughed and laughed for so long.”
Students continue to sign up for walks, even as the fall temperatures settle in. Almost every slot on the signup is consistently full, with some names repeating several times.
Students can reach out to [email protected] or a College of Nursing student to access the signup link. To stay updated on Winnie and her adventures, follow the College of Nursing Instagram account.
If there’s a group of students walking around with a goldendoodle who might just wag her tail as she passes by, just know it’s Winnie and her “crew.”
This story was written by Elena Metinidis. She can be reached at [email protected].
