by Roxy Osborne
Students of U of L recently gained a new, adorable four-legged friend this semester. Lily is the newest member of U of L Police Department’s comfort canine policy, an initiative that aims to bring a little more paw-sitivity to campus.
Cardinals can thank patrol officer Jacob Robinson for Lily’s presence on campus. As her handler, Officer Robinson is responsible for everything Lily related. After choosing her to be U of L PD’s therapy dog in-training late in January, he’s been heavily involved in the golden retriever’s activities on campus.
Lily poses for a photo at the Department of Communications Showcase.
“We’ve been to 28 different events on campus,” says Robinson. “Class visits, events… we even did a podcast episode with the Employee Success Center.”
Lily has the unique distinction of being ULPD’s first comfort dog in over 3 years. The last dog, K9 Hoss, was also a golden retriever. This long overdue absence of a dependable pup for students is what pushed Officer Robinson to get the ball rolling for a new furry friend.
“I always wanted to be a valuable asset,” reflects Robinson. “It was long overdue. I presented a 6 page proposal to get a new dog into the comfort canine policy.”
Robinson states that there were two options in this pitch: either get a randomly assigned dog from a shelter, or adopt a puppy. Ultimately, adopting a puppy seemed to be the best fit for the program. Lily was soon chosen; her name was the result of student feedback and Robinson’s own preference.
Lily has already received extremely positive reception. Robinson notes that students often proclaim that her presence has “made their days, helped them with stress, and helped them get over anxieties of exams.”
There seems to be endless paw-sibilities for Lily’s future at U of L. Officer Robinson hopes to get her therapy dog certification, which would further help officers and students alike.
“She would be able to help with an officer who had recently gone through a traumatic event with certification,” says Robinson. “Students with mental health crises would also benefit.”
Robinson and Lily are also aiming for careers other than emotional support as well. Public relation events are another avenue that Robinson would like to explore.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had. She’s for the public, for everyone,” Robinson says.Lily works exclusively with Officer Robinson, who works 6 A.M. to 4 P.M. Monday through Friday on a rotating schedule. Robinson has dreams of Lily being campus famous, so to help them on their mission, you can find the dynamic duo on Instagram @lily_ulpdk9.
