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Therapy K-9 becoming well-known on the campus of USF St. Petersburg

By Barry Wong
Published  April 8, 2025 3:25pm EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Therapy K-9 becoming well-known on the campus of USF St. Petersburg

A new resident of USF St. Petersburg is joining Rocky the Bull as a mainstay on campus. Three-year-old Snowbird is a therapy comfort K-9 that makes regular rounds on campus.

The Brief

    • A therapy K-9 is becoming well-known on the campus of USF St. Petersburg.
    • USF Master Police Officer Mark Lickenfelt, Snowbird’s handler, says the Goldador, a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever, is the best possible partner.
    • Snowbird was trained by Dogs Inc., trained as a faculty therapy dog. He answered calls for service dealing with mental health, crisis and victims of violence.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - A new resident of USF St. Petersburg is joining Rocky the Bull as a mainstay on campus. Three-year-old Snowbird is a therapy comfort K-9 that makes regular rounds on campus.

"As you walk by with Snowbird every day, you see their faces light up and smile, and they had the anticipation," USF Master Police Officer Mark Lickenfelt said. "They just want to come up and say hi and pet Snowbird."

A therapy K-9 is becoming well-known on the campus of USF St. Petersburg.

Lickenfelt, Snowbird’s handler, says the Goldador, a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever, is the best possible partner.

"Snowbird's trained to be kind of a relaxed dog, to calm people down and make them less anxiety," Lickenfelt said.

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Snowbird was trained by Dogs Inc., trained as a faculty therapy dog. He answered calls for service dealing with mental health, crisis and victims of violence. He also serves as a bridge between campus police and students and staff. 

A therapy K-9 is becoming well-known on the campus of USF St. Petersburg.

"They say we're more approachable having Snowbird around," Lickenfelt said. "Having him exposed to the campus community, and students know that he's here working, they're going to come to us first and talk to us and tell us about their problems so we can help them." 

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For students, he’s the perfect partner to cuddle with, especially during a tough day.

"I really love having them just there," USF sophomore Molly Vought said. "They don't look at you for who you are. They just love you instantly. You don't have to look a certain way or act a certain way or have a certain status. They just love you."

USF St. Pete hopes to add another therapy comfort K-9 in the future.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Barry Wong.

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