Micki Chestnut, volunteer coordinator with Loving Paws Animal Therapy, believes that even if dogs can’t solve the world’s biggest problems, they can be present at just the right moment for vulnerable folks who need a fuzzy shoulder to lean on.

Loving Paws is a nonprofit that promotes the human-animal bond through animal-assisted activity and therapy. Chestnut and her partner, Maisy, a standard poodle, frequently trot around town to spread dopamine and cortisol.

“We’re not solving systemic wrongs, right?” Chestnut said. “We’re not ending hunger. We’re not ending injustice, but for a brief moment, we’re coming in and we’re adding joy, relieving tension, helping people remember their value and their importance in the world.”

Raven Rajani, a licensed clinical therapist and social worker, started Loving Paws as a graduate student at KU. Driving back and forth to Kansas City to participate in animal therapy programs, she realized that Lawrence had little to no comparable options, and she wanted to get the ball rolling.

“Studies indicate that our interactions with dogs reduce levels of cortisol and blood pressure and elevate mood,” Rajani said.

“… I think students and various other people in vulnerable populations, whether that’s someone in long-term care or someone in a juvenile detention center or cancer treatment, they’re feeling alone and isolated. The connection that you can have with a dog that’s just so in the moment, it’s really, really powerful.”

Her greatest inspiration, however, was a certain doe-eyed pit bull named Shakti with a “tutu booty,” as Rajani called it. Shakti loved wearing her bespoke tutus to spread the cheer.

She was Rajani’s best friend and business partner, going on countless visits around town as a therapy dog. She also participated in Rajani’s private practice, where she radiated calm and happiness for kids processing trauma or adults navigating life with a mental illness. Since pit bulls carry an unwarranted stigma, some folks were surprised that Shakti was such a lover.

“I really used her as a springboard for (talking about) negative labels or incorrect assumptions about people,” Rajani said. 

Sweet Shakti died in Rajani’s arms this March. Although bouncing back has been hard for the therapist, she and her volunteer team have been dogged about spreading puppy joy throughout town this year.

According to Chestnut, the nonprofit has 33 active teams. A team is a human and their certified therapy dogs. In total, Loving Paws works with 38 pups.

Therapy dogs stand apart from emotional support animals, who don’t require training, and service dogs, who require highly specialized training.

The dogs with Loving Paws undergo a four- to six-week boot camp led by a local dog trainer to get their American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certification. They have to pass a battery of tests to ensure that they’re suited for the job and that they’ll enjoy it. Then, they’re retested every two years.

Chestnut emphasized that the dogs are treated as partners, not as tools.

“I think the work that we do also asks you to tune into your dog, maybe even in a way that you’ve never, ever done, like watching all of their behaviors,” Rajani said.

From Jan. 1 through Dec. 19 of this year, these 33 teams have logged more than 900 hours in the community. They’ve visited KU student events, assisted living and memory care facilities, Douglas County courts and juvenile detention centers, the public library, the Ballard Center, Family Promise and the Willow Domestic Violence Center to support service recipients and staff at these locations. 

On Friday, Chestnut and Maisy joined folks participating in Douglas County Drug Court. The four-step program is for adults who have a substance use disorder and a felony or pending felony probation violation.

A drug court session can be daunting. Typically, people will go before a judge and discuss getting sober. They’ll talk about their urine analyses, their work and living situations and how they’re caring for their children, while opening up about their treatment progress.

“It’s a stressful process for people, especially if they’re early in their recovery,” Chestnut said. “From coming through the metal detectors, facing all the deputies with all their scary gear, and just seeing the dog, you just see people kind of melt a little bit. The shoulders come down a little bit, a big smile comes on their face.”

Jasen, a drug court participant, said having dogs around lifts his spirits.

“They’re good energy and put a smile on your face,” he said. “You’re dealing with all this complexity of court this, court that, (then) you see this unconditional love.”

Rajani and Chestnut both have an arsenal of stories of people who have opened up around their fuzzy partners.

Rajani is still in touch with Ashley Thomas, a woman who met Shakti during her undergraduate years at KU. Thomas spoke during a memorial video to Shakti, explaining that she had felt extremely depressed since starting college. It reached a point where she didn’t want to wake up anymore.

During a visit to KU, Shakti picked Thomas out of the crowd and planted herself in the student’s lap for an hour. That was a turning point for her.

“Both Raven and Shakti just truly changed my life,” she said over the phone. “Truly, I think I’m in my position of work as an occupational therapist now, helping people, because I found them.”

Thomas hopes that folks will take any opportunity to attend a Loving Paws event.

“A lot of times we don’t necessarily want to seek out someone to talk to, and dogs are exactly that — they come to you with … unconditional love,” she said. She recommended meeting the dog and then taking a moment to chat with Raven or the attached human for extra fulfillment.

Chestnut has seen folks in LMH’s oncology sitting room bond over Maisy’s mop top, and kids at the Lawrence Public Library’s Tail Waggin’ Readers program gain confidence and literacy as they tell stories to nonjudgmental dogs.

“It’s just bringing joy to people,” Rajani said. “Making hard situations softer, making scary moments a little less prickly.”

Humans who think their canine partners might be suited to the role of therapy dog can reach out to Chestnut to learn about volunteering opportunities. Her email is volunteer.lovingpaws@gmail.com.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

Post updated to add another interview at 5:37 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19

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