University of Maryland students train future guide dogs
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Students at the University of Maryland are training puppies to be future guide dogs.
The new program is offered as a club for students.
How it works:
The UMD students train Labrador retriever puppies as part of the Terps Raising Pups program.
It’s the student chapter for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind – a nonprofit that gives these future service dogs to people who are blind.
What they're saying:
The students train the dogs in classes, at dining halls, and in dorms, teaching them how to be patient, obedient, and how to follow directions.
Many students feel it’s a win-win as the pups are exposed to thousands of people on a college campus while giving the students a temporary companion.
"You know you're doing something really good, volunteer work, and you're also getting your course load done? So two things with one," student Julie Gray said.
"It's great to see her progress, and just knowing that I'm going to helping someone in the future," Makenna Steele said.
"I've been doing this since my freshman year now, and I love to see the impact it has," student Bella Richardson added.
What's next:
When the dogs age out of the program, they receive more formal training before being placed with a person in need.
"Once they turn 14 months of age, between 14 and 18 months, they head back to the Foundation, which is based out of Long Island New York, where they'll receive their formal training to become a guide dog and then be placed with a handler," said Royce Hartin with the Guide Dog Foundation.
The Guide Dog Foundation also works with students training puppies at other colleges such as the University of Georgia, Clemson University and George Washington University.