Shortly after starting her freshman year at the University of Maryland, Alex Pechler was walking across campus when she saw a group of puppies scampering around in tiny yellow vests.
Though she didn’t know exactly what was going on, “I knew I needed to be a part of it,” Pechler, now 27, tells The Independent.
The puppies were part of a campus program called Terps Raising Pups – a reference to the UMD Terrapins football team – one of several at colleges across the U.S., organized by the Guide Dog Foundation (GDF). Student volunteers sign up to take on the dogs in order to socialize them before they are sent for formal service animal training.
It’s a two-way system, says GDF Director of Public Relations and Marketing Allison Storck, one that benefits the puppies but also the students who learn structure and responsibilities, and get a mental health boost.
“Who doesn't love the thought of having a dog in a college dorm when you're going through university?” says Storck. “After one of their dogs comes back for formal training, a lot of the students sign up for another one right after.”
Grayson Shirley, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Georgia, waved off her last trainee, Luke, on February 19. Three days later she took on Luckie, the fourth dog she’s trained.
“I signed up to take Luckie back in December so I had that time to plan when Luke was leaving... so it was really, it was really set up very nicely,” she says.
The first GDF college puppy-raiser program started over 10 years ago at UGA. Since then it has snowballed with programs at 14 other colleges including Texas A&M, Mississippi State University and Clemson, employing over 400 students and a wider network of 1,600 volunteers.
“My love started for the dogs, but then I found out about the mission and the impact that they have on helping people get independence and I fell in love with the people after that,” Pechler says.
Volunteers take the puppies at just eight weeks old, housing them until they are around 16 months. In that time the main focus is to get them socialized. “I can't think of a better setting than a college campus. You've got so many things going on,” Storck tells The Independent.
Students teach the dogs basic house manners and get them used to stimulating or stressful situations that they may encounter as a working dog.
“We will take five, six or seven dogs or more to a sporting event, to a store or a restaurant, or we've gone to see a movie before... to practice full group settling, which is just the dog learning how to be comfortable in an environment that they're not familiar with,” says Shirley, who is now an area coordinator for the UGA program, Dawgs Raising Dogs – a reference to the UGA Bulldogs football team.
Additionally volunteers are taught how to give the puppies basic foundational skills and commands like heel, sit, stay, as well as going to the bathroom appropriately. Such pre-training is crucial due to their future owners.
“These are individuals with disabilities, so they need to be perfect and have very good house manners and reliable routines. Socialization is essential,” Storck says. “They need to be able to be out in the public and not be fazed by anything that could happen and that would distract them.”
It’s not just the puppies that are being trained. “I honestly think that this program gave me a ton of organization skills that I wouldn't have gained just being a regular student,” says Pechler.
“You need to start managing your time, making sure that you have plenty of time to walk to class and that you can have time to let the dog relieve themselves before entering. You really learn how to manage responsibilities. Now I have a puppy… I'm no longer just caring for myself, I'm caring for someone else.”
“It's given me an outlet in a lot of ways,” Shirley adds. “School, work, all of those things can be a little overwhelming, but even though there is that added responsibility of having a dog, it is something that I can pour my heart into. It's definitely kind of given my free time a dedicated purpose.”
There are safeguards, and student volunteers are fully vetted on their background and experience of dogs. Thorough checks of homes or dorm rooms are required to ensure the puppies will be well cared for.
After starting the program, monthly check-ins are conducted to assess the dogs’ physical and behavioral wellness. Volunteers have 24 hour access to support in case of overnight issues.
Once the requirements are met, GDF provides veterinary care, grooming supplies, crates, leashes and bowls. “Everything you could imagine that goes into a dog,” says Storck. “Except for dog food – which we’re currently working on.”
Pechler now works as a service dog instructor for America’s Vet Dogs, which provides support animals for military veterans, but still remembers her first college pup – Freida.
“I remember seeing her in a baby crate, and they just held her up and passed her over to me, and it was the sweetest thing. She was tired, she was small. She was about 10 pounds at the time, I already knew I was going to be in love with her,” she says.
Though she is grateful for the opportunity, which has taught her invaluable life skills and ultimately led to a successful career, the gratitude goes both ways.
“We couldn't have the dogs ready for placement and to learn their formal skills without our puppy raisers,” says Storck. “It's an essential part of what we at the Guide Dog Foundation do as an organization.”
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