Charlie, a shih tzu mix, was a disheveled thing when Sue Grundfest found him a few years back in a shelter. He was experiencing many medical issues and was not the cute dog people are drawn to now. 

“No one could initially tell what kind of dog he was because his hair was so matted. He had certainly been neglected in his previous home, and took some time to warm up to people. His first days with me, he had several surgeries and procedures,” Grundfest says.

But at Lied Library, he's developed quite a fan-base among students stressed out by finals. 

"He's found his purpose in helping people through our therapy program," Grundfest says. "There are students now who always come in looking for Charlie."

Grundfest is founder of Pet Partners of Las Vegas/Love Dog Adventures, which partners with University Libraries. The Libraries launched "Paws for a Study Break" a decade ago to help students manage stress so they can perform better on their finals.

Now the line to visit the Love Dogs stretches from one end of the building to the other. Students come for the cuddles and a chance to get selfies with the canine celebrities. 

“I always worked the line with Charlie,” says Grundfest. “The line around the building makes us feel so proud. And students really do come for a little comfort and joy and it's important.”

Animal-assisted therapy programs have become popular at universities across the country as attention has focused on the mental health and well-being of students under increasing strain to perform academically. 

“The libraries are really the heart of campus, especially here at UNLV, and one of our goals has been to create a sense of community for students,” says associate professor Rosan Mitola. “Therapy dogs are a consistent way to draw students into our spaces and foster a sense of belonging and connectedness to the library."

The first Paws for Study Break event was held in 2013. Mitola worked in partnership with Su Kim Chung, a fellow Libraries faculty member in Special Collections and Archives who proposed the event, and Jason Aubin, who is now the director of space management for the University Libraries. 

“We weren’t really doing programming back then, so we had to develop a lot of processes and procedures, and get clearance to have dogs on campus and inside the library. It was not like, oh, let’s have a small event in the library. It was a lot of work,” says Mitola.

After putting the bone of the program in place, the trio invited Grundfest and the Love Dogs to campus. The program was an instant success. Nearly 1,000 students attended the first two-day event. 

Over the years, “Paws For A Study Break” and other branded animal-assisted therapy events have flourished at the Libraries and provided pets, cuddles, and posed for selfies for more than 14,000 students. Often when the Love Dogs visit Lied Library, the line to visit them will stretch from one end of the building to the other. 

Pet Partners of Las Vegas has nearly 40 partnerships with organizations around Las Vegas and has expanded on campus with William S. Boyd School of Law, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, and the School of Dental Medicine. But Grundfest treasures her original partnership with Libraries in particular. 

“The employees and the students at the library, they treat us like gold,” Grundfest says. “There is joy and fun and camaraderie in the room, and we feel a part of the university experience.”

A celebration turns to comfort

On Dec. 6, 2023, Grundfest and four volunteer handlers were at Lied Library for their official 10th anniversary visit with students. It was supposed to be a two-hour Study Week event. Then a chilling emergency text notification started popping up on student phones: Active shooter on campus. The entire campus went into lockdown and the Library celebration took on new meaning as around 120 students, staff and volunteers sheltered inside the Amargosa Room. 

“It’s one thing to bring in therapy animal teams after a tragedy, where we are there to comfort and assist those affected, and another thing altogether to be a part of the tragedy itself,” says Grundfest. “It was eerily quiet as we waited for guidance or news, and each therapy dog had a circle of students around them.”

Charlie and his Love Dogs did their job. “They walked around the room to visit students, and were a good distraction for students,” says Grundfest. “We were perhaps in the wrong place at the right time to help students.”

Nearly four hours later, police teams began evacuating the library, escorting students and faculty to the Thomas & Mack Arena and then traveled to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The whole time, the dogs provided support for traumatized students.

“One student held Charlie’s paw during the entire walk,” says Grundfest. “All the dogs were so supportive to the students.”

After students made their way home, many reached out to the Libraries on social media to check on the dogs. 

“I hope the library staff and faculty are all safe during this time. I just wanted to check whether the dogs were alright as well? They must have been really startled with the alarms that went off,” a student messaged on Instagram.

The benefits is animal-assisted intervention

Grundfest, a licensed therapy dog instructor and evaluator, calls Pet Partners the gold standard for animal assisted therapy programs. There is much more to the program than simply bringing a friendly dog (or cat or rabbit) to events.

“We train the handler as well as the animal,” says Grundfest. “[Handlers] must take a course and pass everything, from understanding infection control to HIPAA laws to understanding how to handle the animals.”

Animal-assisted therapy has a number of documented health benefits, including lower heart rate and blood pressure, while also providing emotional benefits for individuals who are struggling.

“Whether we are bringing up a low affect or bringing down a manic affect or working with special-needs children and youth or aiding with physical therapy or occupational therapy — the integration of the animals into the traditional and non-traditional therapies has been proven,” says Grundfest. “The unconditional love of the animals is palpable, and the handler is just as important. Both ends of the leash are critical to the success of the intervention. 

While the Dec. 6 shooting was their first time being in the middle of a traumatic event, the Love Dogs have provided intervention services in the aftermath of other tragedies. Following the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, the Love Dogs were on campus and at Lied Library. 

“When 1 October happened, Sue immediately reached out and asked how she could support our students reeling from the shooting," Mitola says. "Within hours, Sue organized volunteer handlers for their therapy dogs to be in the library. During our most difficult days, we've had therapy dogs to help the UNLV community grieve, heal, and move forward."

While the Love Dogs are most famous at UNLV, other therapy animals are members of Pet Partners. Scarlet and Angel, miniature horses, have made therapy visits to campus, and other therapy animals include cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds.

“I’ve tested several pigs over the years, but I’ve never found one with the right temperament that can remain silent in stressful situations,” says Grundfest. “I remain hopeful though.”

After the campus shooting, therapy dogs have returned for additional healing, staff meetings, and for the opening of the spring semester.

And, as they have done every semester for the past 10 years, the Love Dogs will return to the Libraries during Study Week.

“While therapy dog programs have proliferated at UNLV, our long-lasting partnership with the Love Dogs started the tradition on campus. We’re so grateful to Sue and her team of dedicated volunteers. Their generosity has really made this program for our students possible,” says Mitola. “Therapy dogs are consistently our most popular event with students, and an event I look forward to every semester.”