When furry friends Shiloh and Finn put their harnesses and nametags on, it’s just another day at the office. But for students, faculty and staff at Ohio State, their entire day could be improved by seeing the dogs.
Shiloh and Finn are two dogs in the Buckeye Paws program, co-founded in March 2020 by Beth Steinberg, associate chief nursing officer of critical care and emergency services, and Mary Justice, associate executive director of patient care services and clinical transformation — at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State.
The program was founded to support the mental and emotional health of staff at the medical center and is now available to any member of the campus community, according to the program’s website.
Buckeye Paws has expanded from four dogs, including Shiloh, to nearly 25 in two years, making them capable of being available anywhere on campus, according to the program’s website.
Aimee Mitchell, program manager of Buckeye Paws, said with the expansion of the program, Buckeye Paws looks to help everyone in need on campus.
“My hope is that we are going to have students, faculty and staff at Ohio State joining our team,” Mitchell said. “If you bring the dogs in, people open up. They may tell you about their day, they may cry, they may laugh or they may scream with excitement.”
Students, faculty and staff can request and schedule a free visit from Buckeye Paws by emailing [email protected], according to the website. Shiloh, who joined Buckeye Paws in September 2017, is an English cream golden retriever handled by Justice and can both provide relief for students and do an Elvis impersonation, according to the website.
Finn the labrador retriever is handled by Jillian Maitland, director of nursing at the medical center, joined the program in January 2021 and loves sticks, food and attention, according to the website.
Justice said Buckeye Paws has no shortage of personalities, and Shiloh has had a superstar mentality since going viral in a tweet in 2020 — which currently has over 120,000 likes. Justice said the golden retriever has loved the attention, especially during national television appearances.
“When he started getting filmed by CNN, ABC and CBS, he knows where the camera is, he poses for the camera and he has this little personality that he developed,” Justice said.
Maitland said when she adopted Finn and was introduced to Buckeye Paws, she knew he would be perfect for the job.
During the pandemic, it was hard for Finn to socialize with other dogs, Maitland said. However, in working with Buckeye Paws, the labrador has grown in confidence and friendship with the other canines.
Maitland said the program has been beneficial for both the people it provides therapy to and the dogs.
“I think it’s really rewarding for [the dogs] as well, to have the opportunity to bring joy to people,” Maitland said. “At the end of the day he’s exhausted, but it is a really great opportunity for him to interact with so many people and bring joy.”
Justice said it was evident from the start that this program offered unmatched support to health care workers. She said as Buckeye Paws expands across campus, it will continue to spread joy through dogs like Shiloh and Finn.
“It’s not just health care, it’s our nation,” Justice said. “People are broken and this is a way to be kind, and [the dogs] are the kindest thing in some way that I know.”
