Last fall, the blog Above the Law caught wind of a jokey stunt going on at the Yale Law School Library. In addition to checking out books, students at the top-ranked graduate school could also, it seemed, check out “Monty” (full name General Montgomery), a border terrier mix. The dog would be available to play with students for 30-minute intervals, according to the library catalogue listing. But shortly after ATL discovered this adorable opportunity, the school said that it was just a gag, and that you couldn’t really check out the pooch.

And yet now, according to a memo to students, Monty is back in circulation.

From: Cadmus, Femi

Date: Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 10:49 AM

Subject: Law Library Therapy Dog Pilot Program Launches March 28, 2011

To: Law School Students

Dear Students:

The law library intends to run a three day pilot program starting on March 28, 2011 during which students will be able to “check out” our certified library therapy dog, Monty for thirty minute periods. We hope that making a therapy dog available to our students will prove to be a positive addition to current services offered by the library. It is well documented that visits from therapy dogs have resulted in increased happiness, calmness, and overall emotional well-being.

Beginning March 21, 2011, a sign-up sheet with additional information will be available at the circulation desk for students wishing to check out Monty. Even though Monty is hypoallergenic, visits will be confined to a dedicated non-public space in the library to eliminate potential adverse reactions from any library user who might have dog-related concerns. We are committed to ensuring our library remains a welcoming and comfortable environment for all our users.

Finally, we will need your feedback and comments to help us decide if this will be a permanent on-going program available during stressful periods of the semester, for example during examinations. Please feel free to contact us at anytime at [redacted] or stop by the library administrative suite in room 300 to speak with the Librarian.

Law school is one thing. But when corporate firms start offering therapy dogs to overworked associates, then we might start reconsidering this whole law thing …