Every Monday, alumnus Dan Boyd ’69 makes the rounds of the LaRita Boren Campus Center with his therapy dog, Bayley. Bayley is a celebrity at Taylor University, and students practically line up to spend time with the fluffy, happy-go-lucky Leonberger.
As a Coast Guard veteran and previous motorsports photographer, Boyd had no idea he would one day be working with therapy dogs.
Boyd graduated from Taylor in 1969 with a degree in education. Both of his parents graduated from Taylor in 1934 and encouraged him to attend Taylor after he spent two years at Port Huron Junior College.
Boyd planned to become a teacher at an elementary school in Jacksonville, Florida. However, he was drafted into the military immediately after graduating. While in the Coast Guard, he was introduced to the world of photography. He fell in love with it, and when his time in the military was up, he enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York. At the time, it was one of the premier photography schools in the world.
Going to school at RIT helped line Boyd up with a job working as a full-time motorsports photographer. From 1974 to 2013, Boyd worked for various motorsports organizations.
In 2013, Boyd had a job lined up to continue doing photography with NASCAR but felt God calling him in another direction. He declined the offer and started working with therapy dogs.
Boyd has had two Bernese Mountain Dogs as therapy dogs since starting the program in 2017. Bennett was his first therapy dog, which he trained as a puppy. Unfortunately, Bennett died of cancer in 2022, and Boyd then trained Bayley, a Leonberger, who is turning seven this year. Boyd is working on training another therapy dog, a golden retriever named Barnabas.
“This guy (Bayley) loves people,” Boyd said. “He loves kids. He’s a chick magnet.”
Boyd has been coming to Taylor with his therapy dogs for about six years now, partnering with the Counseling Center. Students love seeing Bayley and giving him hugs.
Boyd did not leave photography altogether while working with his therapy dogs. He worked part-time photographing the Indianapolis 500 from 2013 to 2024. He also uses photography in the therapy dog program to take pictures of Bayley with patients and students. He even prints photos of Bayley to hand to people so they can remember their interactions. He tries to get a picture of Bayley with every student they meet. He’s taken so many photos that he has an album full of pictures of students with Bayley in the Counseling Center.
Kara Patrick, Assistant Director of the Counseling Center, said therapy dogs, especially Bayley, have a big impact on individuals' mental health.
“I think there is a sense of comfort that can be provided when they know that they're going to see him,” Patrick said. “Especially when we see therapy dogs coming into places, like the Stu or where people are kind of congregating, it can help foster conversation.”
Boyd said the times Bayley impacts students most are the first week of school as some battle homesickness, and on the opposite end of the semester with the stress of finals week. But anytime that he and Bayley come to Taylor, they touch the hearts of every student they meet.
Sophomore Riley Yajko shared about the impact that Bayley has had on her.
“It gives me a brain break, because normally I'm locked in whenever Bayley comes by,” Yajko said. “It just gives me a break to relax and recover from all of the work that I'm doing. Being able to squeeze his head and pet him and give him treats, just helps me relax from all of everything else that's going on.”
Boyd has also taken Bennett, and later Bayley, to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie and the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Marion to interact with patients, doctors, nurses, and other staff.
Boyd recounted one incident that occurred in a special needs classroom when he had Bennett.
“There was a girl there who didn't respond, just laid there, didn't move or anyything,” Boyd said. “And the teachers and the caretakers in there were kind of watching, and the kids were doing well, and Bennett went over to this girl and took his nose and nudged her, and she responded, and they had never seen that.”
Boyd's website features thousands of photos he has taken from his time in motorsports up to now, including photos of Bayley with patients and students.
Boyd's life has come full circle—from his time at Taylor to serving in the military, then pursuing motorsports photography and now working with therapy dogs. He believes God orchestrated each of these experiences, preparing him for his current role of bringing joy to people through his therapy dogs.
Photos courtesy of Jina Park.
