Introducing Keeper!

Saint Francis Facility Dog Keeper was placed with Virginia Tech’s Health Sciences & Technology (HS&T) campus as the official HS&T Facility Dog. Keeper received two years of rigorous training from Saint Francis Service Dogs, an Assistance Dog International accredited organization, to prepare him for his role as a facility dog.

Utilizing his highly specialized skill set, Keeper and his handler, Carrie Knopf, MA, CPACC will provide the HS&T community with animal-assisted activities strategically designed to enhance wellness while mitigating issues such as burnout. They will also provide animal-assisted educational opportunities to teach faculty and students about the ways in which dogs support human health, including those with disabilities and chronic illness. Keeper’s placement makes him one of the few facility dogs in the United States to hold a full-time position on a health sciences campus.

Keeper will be in FBRI Library on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month and the VTCSOM library on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month. For information about his other activities, check out the Wellness Weekly or follow him on Instagram @KickItWithKeeper. Contact Carrie Knopf at kcarrie1@vt.edu with any questions or inquiries.