Olivia Obringer

Age: 20

By Stacie Ball | Photo by Mollie Shutt

Olivia Obringer, a junior at the University of Saint Francis, has a passion for both animals and people. Recently, she witnessed a connection between the two that began an explosion of great ideas within her. She teamed up with her four-legged friend, Willow, to benefit people of all ages in our community.

“A couple of years ago, I visited a nursing home with my dad and his deaf great dane. For the first time, I was able to witness how much a short visit from a dog can mean to people,” Obringer said, “The elderly went from emptily staring at the wall or TV to genuine excitement seeing his great dane. After that, I set out to have my own great dane become a certified therapy dog.”

Obringer assisted Willow in passing her Canine Good Citizen test and eight weeks of My Best Friend Dog Training. The training included four evaluations, which tested Willow’s ability to handle distractions in nursing homes and libraries. Obringer said, “In July 2018, Willow and I became a certified therapy dog team.”

From there, Obringer contacted her local library and organized a “PAWS to Read” program where children could read to Willow.

“After a couple weeks of this program, I noticed that some of the regular children had improved their reading skills,” Obringer reported, “They went from shy and quiet, to openly excited to see Willow every Tuesday, picking out their favorite book with enthusiasm, and reading the story without as many mistakes.”

This inspired Obringer to create an event called “De-Stress with Pets Week.” She invited 5 to10 therapy dog teams to her university once a semester the week before final exams. Students were excited to have an opportunity to take a break from studying and de-stress by petting a Newfoundland, shih tsu or her own great dane, Willow.

When Obringer is not teaming up with Willow, she is an executive board member for the Pre-Professional Healthcare Honor Society and a cabinet leader for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at her university. She also participates in studies with various biology professors, analyzing and researching anything from Asian clams to human lung cultures. Off-campus she is a veterinary assistant at Northeast Indiana Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital and a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters. She spent her summer working on African primates as an intern at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.

Currently, Obringer is studying biology and pre-vet medicine. In the future, she hopes to be accepted into a graduate program in veterinary school and earn her doctor of veterinary medicine with a concentration in ER medicine.

“I thrive on being busy,” Obringer explained when asked how she manages it all. “My planner is full of assignments that need to be written, meetings I need to attend, and exams I need to study for.”

She attributes her ability to prioritize and efficiently complete all tasks to her experience in the emergency department, where she is always busy with patients needing medical attention. Knowing she wouldn’t have it any other way, she continued, “An easy, boring day in my planner stresses me out more than a full one does.”

Armed with knowledge, compassion and a whole lot of determination, Olivia Obringer is ready to change the world one paw at a time. a

WHEN: Monday, Dec. 16, 2019 | 1:00 P.M.

WHERE: Summit Hearing Solutions 4911 Illinois Rd., Fort Wayne

SPEAKER: Ted Blanford, ACA International Hearing Society

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