Piedmont University Speech-Language Pathology Clinic Gets a Canine Helper

Students in Piedmont's Speech-Language Pathology graduate program get the opportunity to practice their skills at the university's on-site clinic, helping their clients develop their communication abilities. In turn, their clients get to practice their skills and improve their speech and swallowing. Now, thanks to a new employee named Fozzie, students and clients alike get to enjoy a unique experience: working with a assistance dog.

Fozzie is accompanied by Director of Clinical Education Amanda Gomez, and together they did trainings to become certified.

“Fozzie went through 4 weeks of off-leash behavior training initially,” says Professor Gomez. “He had to learn basic and advanced commands. From there, [Professor Gomez] worked with him on the AKC Canine Good Citizen training and he had to pass the exam, which he passed in November 2024.”

In addition to Fozzie's training, Professor Gomez became a Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist. This certification will help her provide education about and advocate for Animal Assisted Therapy services.

Fozzie's presence in the clinic is a major benefit to both students and clients. Students get to prepare to work with assistance animals, which they may encounter in their future endeavors. Clients to get to have Fozzie by their side as they work through their communication exercises, which often increases their motivation to perform well in their tasks and lowers any potential anxiety.

When he is not in the clinic, Fozzie gets to hang out with Professor Gomez and her family. She says, “Fozzie is the best boy! He loves being around people, being silly and throwing his toys around, getting ice cube treats, and getting rubs and loves from everyone.”

When Fozzie was asked for a comment for this piece, he had little to say, but lots of love to give. Just like Professor Gomez said, he was silly and sweet to everyone who encountered him in the course of his “interview.” Even without a quote from Fozzie, one thing is certain: he will go on to benefit students and clients for many appointments to come.

To learn more about Piedmont's SLP programs, click here for undergraduate or here for graduate.