[lstac] LSTA grant for Read to as Dog- for the dog

Tue Oct 14 12:58:01 PDT 2025

Hi all,

For the ARPA grant, we had a small library petition and win approval for a facility/service dog.  Based on the information below, you could see if it would apply with the LSTA guidelines as well.  Here were the initial details:

We are in the process of securing a Saint Francis Service Dogs (SFSD) Facility Dog (FD). We have been raising her and training her here since May 2020 in partnership with Saint Francis Service Dogs as a Service Dog (not to be confused with a therapy dog).  https://saintfrancisdogs.org/facility-dogs/

Per their SFSD Facility Dog agreement, the dog, Story, would continue to belong to SFSD for the next 5 years. However, they are not responsible for her food, vet visits, preventive medicine, etc. during that time.  Because she would be actively offering programs (outreach and in-house), I’m hopeful to find financial support in terms of her physical well-being (routine vet appointments, vaccinations, preventive meds, food, etc.)  She would essentially become a staff member and resource at the time of becoming a FD. We’d be the first public library in VA (that I know of!) that has secured a Facility Dog!  She would not be considered a pet and would not belong to me.

Story’s vet visits are conducted by specific vets associated/approved by SFSD and this would make tracking her receipts/care/expenses much easier. This also reduces many of the routine costs because of the agreement between the vet and SFSD.   She has passed health screenings in ADI Breeding Cooperative and proven to be structurally sound, physically healthy, and temperamentally steady.  The City Manager of Radford has approved her Facility Dog status.

Kim Armentrout, M.L.S.
Grants and Data Coordinator
Library Development and Networking Division
Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond,  VA  23219
804-692-3601
________________________________
From: Melanie Boyd via lstac <lstac at omls.oregon.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 1:23 PM
To: Jessica Otto <jessica.otto at wyo.gov>
Cc: LSTA Coordinators <lstac at omls.oregon.gov>
Subject: Re: [lstac] LSTA grant for Read to as Dog- for the dog

Me too Jessica! I'm willing to go to IMLS for this with optimism but hoping someone here has experience... as near as I can tell there's nothing agains a living "supply" for the library haha! I do want to have more clarity on who is ultimately responsible for taking the dog home; they've made budget clear for ongoing care.

On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 11:10 AM Jessica Otto <jessica.otto at wyo.gov<mailto:jessica.otto at wyo.gov>> wrote:
I have no input other than to say I am absolutely fascinated by the bravery of this library's request and can't wait to see if it is allowed! How cool would that be?

On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 11:05 AM Melanie Boyd via lstac <lstac at omls.oregon.gov<mailto:lstac at omls.oregon.gov>> wrote:
Hello All,

Can subgrantees use LSTA funds to purchase and train a dog?

I have an applicant applying for our larger LSTA grant round requesting funds for a therapy dog and the training. They have a partner organization that selects and trains the dog. (It's unclear from the application who will be caring for the dog). The grant is otherwise well thought out and has supporting data.

We have another library in our state with a cat, who has his own blog and a fan club with swag for sale, so I can see how having a therapy dog in the library has benefits beyond improving fluency and mental health. I see nothing in the 2CFR about live animals... oh my!

Thanks,

--

Melanie Boyd

Grants Coordinator and Library Consultant

State Library Division<https://library.utah.gov/> | office 801.715.6740  mobile 801.535.2513

250 North 1950 West, Ste. A

Salt Lake City, Utah 84116-7901

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