OU-Tulsa Service Dog Profiled in Pioneer Woman Magazine

If you pick up a copy of the fall 2022 issue of The Pioneer Woman Magazine and flip to the “contents” page, you will see a picture of a very familiar face to the OU-Tulsa campus.

Niko, the yellow lab who embodies the Professor Paws Project, has a full-page profile titled “Teacher’s Pet: At the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, a furry faculty member schools students about the power of service dogs.”

The Professor Paws Project is an outgrowth of the occupational therapy program at OU-Tulsa and fulfills the purpose of educating occupational therapy students and the community about the value and role of service dogs.

Professor Mary Isaacson, Niko’s owner and handler, as well as the founder of the Professor Paws Project, has spent her career of over three decades in occupational therapy and recognized what a game changer a service animal could be for some people.

“Service dogs can help tremendously with tasks that support independence,” Isaacson is quoted in the article.

After learning all that service dogs could do, she decided that future occupational and physical therapists need to learn about them for their future clients. Thus, the beginning of Professor Paws.

The Pioneer Woman article describes Niko as “a puppy with cocoa-colored eyes and a sweet yet spirited demeanor,” which many on the Tulsa campus know firsthand.

“He likes to work,” said Isaacson of Niko in the article. “We could not have picked a more perfect dog for this program.”

Be sure to pick up your own copy of The Pioneer Woman Magazine if you’d like to read more about OU-Tulsa’s perfect pup!

By Bonnie Rucker