A member of the St. Thomas Department of Public Safety ranks is quickly becoming popular with the community. Despite unusual demands – like a bowl of water on the break room floor and occasional belly rubs – the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has become an important part of the squad.
The latest addition to Public Safety is Scooter, Patrol Lt. Dan Iverson’s family dog, and while the 20 pound menace may strike fear in the toys around him, his ability to comfort students with his calm demeanor has made him an asset for the department.
“Scooter is a nice resource to have on campus,” said first-year student Leah Johnson. “When I’m homesick I can just swing by and cuddle with Scooter. It’s almost like when the school brings in therapy dogs at midterms and finals, but he’s just here all the time.”
Iverson and his wife bought Scooter as a puppy in 2020 with hopes that the dog could one day become a meaningful presence at the university.
“When I started (working for St. Thomas) in 2015, we would have people bring their dogs in all the time,” Iverson said. “It wasn’t like they were coming out on calls, but people just liked to have dogs here.”
Iverson started bringing Scooter into the Public Safety office because the staff enjoyed the dog’s company, but once word traveled around the university, Scooter’s presence expanded across campus.
“He’s a great help and great stress relief,” Public Safety Sgt. Libby Barnhart said.
Students struggling with mental health have said that having the dog as part of the initial Public Safety response team helps in difficult situations.
“On night shift we get some more difficult calls,” Barnhart said. “Just the mention of Scooter gets everyone in a better mood.”
Scooter accompanies Public Safety officers when requested by students and attends events around campus.
“At those events we’ve had students come up crying, saying ‘I miss my dog so much,’ or ‘my dog just passed away,’ and they just sit on the ground and pet Scooter,” Iverson said.
The positive feedback ensures that Scooter is here to stay, according to Iverson. Iverson posts Scooter updates on the Public Safety Instagram @publicsafetyust to let students know when Scooter is in the office and is up for visitors.
“I think at some point it would be cool to see an official program with having a comfort dog where one gets trained,” Iverson said. “But there’s no rush. Scooter is fine. He can do what he’s doing right now.”
Abby Kielty can be reached at kiel6046@stthomas.edu.
It’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.