From 2018 to 2022, the University of Seoul (UOS) ran the Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) program to offer students the sense of comfort of living with animals. Nuri, a Golden Retriever, was brought to the Student Dormitory of UOS as an AAA therapy animal. 

The existing program was eventually replaced by the new education program in 2023. Initially, Nuri, trained as a therapy dog, was planned to keep staying at the Student Dormitory of UOS. However, it was decided that Nuri would be rehomed at a private family for a better life. Nuri is immensely loved by UOS students and will find a new home after five years of living in UOS.
 

Nuri is a male Golden Retriever born in May 2017. It moved into the Student Dormitory of UOS on August 24, 2017, giving happiness to UOS students living in the dormitory. Golden Retrievers are unaggressive, patient, loyal, and friendly, which is why they are often called “angel dogs.” Many Golden Retrievers are trained as therapy dogs, which also explains why people usually have a positive perception of them. The name “Nuri” was decided through a contest held in September 2017. 

In Korean, it is an old-fashioned word for the world, and was selected to convey a positive perspective among students who are living in a modern desolate world. The name symbolized joy irrespective of differences among individuals and communities. In addition, it goes well with the appearance of the dog and its yellow coat of fur because the pronunciation of the word is similar to that meaning “yellow” in Korean. Furthermore, foreign students can easily pronounce the name. Apart from Nuri, the names under consideration were Dodam, Dubu, Maru, and Sidang.
 

The AAA program aimed to benefit both the students and the animal. In particular, the program intended to provide psychological and emotional stability to students. In contemporary society where loneliness and stress is widely prevalent, raising pets and spending time with animals is a great source of comfort and psychological compensation. 

According to a 2020 study on the impact of raising pets on resilience by Professor Lee Sang-ho of Soongsil University, people with pets scored high in all psychological health categories. They particularly showed higher psychological health in environmental control, personal growth, and self-acceptance than those without pets. Nuri, who came to UOS to have such an impact on students, had received special training for psychotherapy purposes. Thus, Nuri lived in the Student Dormitory and rendered psychological assistance.
 

Nuri was taken care of by the staff of the Student Dormitory, who took turns walking it three times a day around the campus. They also gave Nuri a bath once a week in the shower room of the Student Dormitory. Meanwhile, there was some concern regarding Nuri’s living environment as there was no main owner in charge. Nonetheless, the staff did their best to take care of the dog who followed instructions quite well.

After serving as a therapy dog at UOS for five years, Nuri is now ready to become a family dog. Since COVID-19, Nuri has been virtually inactive and depressed, which has caused great concern among students. In fact, it is now being seriously discussed that UOS should ensure Nuri a good life in the future. From the perspective of animal rights, it would be better for Nuri to leave UOS and move to a home. 

The Student Dormitory conducted a free rehoming through an announcement on the UOS website. The process is as follows; application, first review on the documents, selection of face-to-face applicants, interview, site inspection, and final selection. Regarding the plan to rehome Nuri, The UOS Times interviewed Lee Jin-young, the action officer of the Student Dormitory. So far, only adoption inquiries have been received, and there has been no actual adoption application. UOS is also aware that it is not easy to adopt Nuri as it is a large dog. In the circumstances, the application schedule will be adjusted accordingly. UOS is totally responsible for Nuri until it finds a new home.
 

Nuri will leave UOS as soon as a suitable family is found. As Nuri has been a loving member of UOS for several years, students are sad to bid the dog farewell. They can, however, follow Nuri’s Instagram account to keep in touch with its whereabouts. Go check out the link below. Farewell, Nuri! 

Kim Gyu-yeon
gy.kim815@gmail.com