The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Well-Being Team is helping students relax with the help of some furry friends from local nonprofit organization Pet Partners of Las Vegas.

The Well-Being Team holds monthly therapy dog events where students can spend time with therapy dogs for an hour. The event is the product of an ongoing 10-year partnership with Pet Partners of Las Vegas. Pet Partners is a nonprofit organization that is a recognized leader in animal therapy work. Founder and president Sue Grundfest and Manager of Wellness and Integrative Medicine at The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, Kathyrn Pauli share how therapy dogs can be a stress-reducing experience for UNLV students.

The atmosphere of being a college student is surrounded by anxiety, stress, and restlessness. Coming out of a pandemic has only added more fuel to the fire. It can be difficult for students to find time to alleviate some of the stress during their busy schedules. Grunfest knows this and assures people that taking just a few minutes to distance themselves from their stressors will be nothing but beneficial.

"“It’s a chance to destress, but it’s also a chance to communicate with other people and communities, especially after COVID.” Sue Grundfest

She remembers what that transition was like after the pandemic,“The first time kids came back on campus, we were there,” she said. “That was a hard adjustment.”

For Pauli, therapy dog events are vital for UNLV students. She gives context on the reality for most students at UNLV and how these events re-energize them.

“It really helps with their overall mood, their stress levels, it gives them a way to step away from studying,” Pauli said. “A lot of our students might study from 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning until 11:00 or 12:00 at night. So, when they have activities, like therapy dogs, it gives them an opportunity to step aside, gives them that well-being break.”

The partnership between UNLV and Sue Grundfest has been ongoing for 15 years but she has been in this industry for almost 30 years. As the president, she is responsible for what seems like every aspect of the company.

Grundfest does the training and testing of the dogs as a licensed instructor and evaluator for National Pet Partners. She runs the social media pages as well as is the coordinator of events for the company. She reveals just how much she loves her job.

“I work full time and I’m retired,” Grundfest said. “Go figure.”

The first time she visited UNLV was in the Lied Library, where she recalled seeing 3,000 students over the four hours her team was there. The event is still very popular among the UNLV community. In their most recent visit to the Lied Library, Sue gave out over 1000 trading cards informing the recipients of the animal’s backstory. The experience that therapy dogs provide for students during this time is a unique way for students to be heard and not judged.

“The dogs don’t judge you. They’re just loving and they’re going to just visit and listen to you,” Grundfest said. “I think having us here, what do you think? Isn’t the mood in the room just joyful and peaceful? That’s the trick, our animals are so calm, you won’t hear barking, they’re just chill, that’s very important.”

It is true, upon entering the building where the event was held a person would not know there were dogs present. This calmness allowed students to acknowledge their feelings of depression, loneliness, and being overwhelmed that they might have been neglecting. Grundfest reveals the impact that petting a calm animal for five minutes can have on students. She explained how it can be better for your well-being, your heart rate, and your cortisol levels.

Pauli has been with UNLV for only a short time, since July of 2021, but has witnessed first-hand how the students react to the therapy dogs.

“I feel like dogs have this magical way of taking our bodies out of fight or flight and allowing us to come into our own and settle in our space and reduce anxiety, reduce stress.” Kathyrn Pauli

These dogs are the comfort that at times, is difficult to find. Grundfest remembers how one of her dogs, Benny, gave this comfort to someone who needed it while working with children on the autism spectrum. Benny was the oldest serving therapy dog, he worked for 13 years. In one case he saw the same boy for four years, twice a week.

“A lot of things have been written about this one child, who’s now a young man and doing great about how the therapy dog opened up everything for him,” Sue said. “From his focus to communication, knowing how to look at people, knowing how to love, and knowing how to accept love, Benny was his boy.”

The visit would end with the boy helping her put Benny in his car seat where the boy would say, “Thank you, Miss Sue,” and give her a hug.

She speaks more about the experience. “This is a child who was nonverbal when I met him. This was a child who would not allow to be touched. So, his parents totally credit what we’ve done with the therapy dogs to having him be a young man that could become independent.” she said.

Therapy dogs are just one of the resources that UNLV offers for students to better their wellness. The School of Medicine at UNLV Well-Being Team also offers massage chairs and contests to boost students’ wellbeing. Coming from a middle school teaching background Pauli loves to bring goofiness to the serious atmosphere that can surround students like a dark cloud.

“One of the things that I’ve done the past two years around the holidays is I hide a bunch of gnomes and students have to find the gnomes,” Pauli said. “Then when they find them, they bring them back to me, then they get to pick a present.”

For Pauli, the main goal is to get students away from studying and get them hanging out with their friends and having fun.

To find out when UNLV will be having more therapy dog events and other well-being events check the school calendar, which can be found on the school website