‘Professor Paws Is in’: Jasper Visits Shun Hing College
By LIM Hui Yuan, SHC Media Team
With the amount of stress and anxiety students experience these days, animals have done an amazing job alleviating it.

Jasper, the therapy dog, paid a visit to Shun Hing College (SHC) for the SHC Therapy Series on 30 October 2019. It may have been Jasper’s first bean bag experience, but this is already his second time back in the college. His visit to the college was timely. For students, this was the end of the mid-term season and the start of “bloody” November, when academic deadlines begin to accumulate.
Jasper, an 11-year old English sheepdog, also goes by other nicknames like Panda, Xiong (熊) and Jazzie. He was adopted from the Hong Kong Dog Rescue in 2009 where his human parents noticed his extraordinarily calm but outgoing personality.
He did not bark even once during the therapy sessions but smiled (literally the cutest smile) as the students approached him.

Besides Jasper’s cute and fluffy look, he also has a calming and relaxing demeanour. Gary Chin, HKU Libraries’ public relations and development manager, said that Jasper´s unique talent is sensing people who are stressed and unwell, and inclines him to approach by their side.
Jasper’s rise as HKU’s therapy dog began in December 2017. Chin and Cordelia Chan, an HKU staff, took note of the issue of stress among students during the exam period. Upon hearing about Jasper and the value of animal-assisted therapy, they collaborated with the HKU Library for this pilot programme. According to the HKU website, it is hoped that this programme will benefit HKU students during the assessment period by encouraging less stress and anxiety by taking a break from their studies. Jasper’s “job description” was to help students and staff members destress during the 30-minute sessions, especially during exam periods.
The response to the programme was an overwhelming success and launched Jasper’s career as the HKU therapy dog as well as the only resident therapy dog in Hong Kong. Recently, he was also promoted to “Professor Paws,” allowing him to visit other schools and even the elderly homes.
Jasper became HKU’s very own celebrity. With over 4,000 Facebook friends and more than 2,000 followers on Instagram, signing up for his therapy sessions have become increasingly difficult.
Jasper’s therapy sessions guarantee good vibes only, involving back rubs on him. As a companion animal, he is very relatable. He even loves cuddles and food (anything and everything, especially pizza).
Chin indicated how the breeding of animals may be problematic. While it is not illegal to breed dogs in Hong Kong, animal breeders must consider the suitability of the breed to the type of environment. Sheepdogs, like Jasper, do not naturally inhabit Hong Kong due to the sweltering weather. He said that without proper knowledge, animal breeding may cause harm to the animal’s well-being in the long run.
Moreover, Chin said that before getting a companion animal, the animal’s welfare should always be considered. He noted how humans have adopted animals, then neglected or abandoned them. The small housing space in Hong Kong was among the common reasons for their abandoning or placing animals in shelters.
At the animal shelter, Chin found Jasper underweight and lacked proper nutrition. He provided him with proper food and water and nursed him back to health. After several months, Jasper recovered and became cheerful again.
Chin hopes that Jasper’s presence may raise awareness not only in the importance of student’s welfare but of animals as well. Like with Jasper, he said that entering into a relationship with a companion animal should “not be a temporary fling but a long-term relationship.” In that way, the well-being of both humans and animals are safeguarded.
Nevertheless, the therapy session in SHC was much needed by the participants. SHC resident Nadya Christina described Jasper as “so adorable and cute” that he was “the best kind of stress reliever.”
SHC resident Harvey Oon expressed that he was a bit down before the session. But when he saw and played with Jasper, he forgot what he was stressing about. He reflected, “I feel like he can make any of my bad days seem okay. I’m glad I’ve finally met the star of HKU.”
