Susquehanna Service Dogs

I have always wanted to raise a service dog puppy to make difference in someone's life. It is a cause that I could see myself volunteering for for the rest of my life. Maybe once I retire, it will be a hobby that I take up full time, but that is at least 50 years down the road! To start the process, I attended a puppy class and a clicker/orientation class for Susquehanna Service Dogs.

Credit

Puppy Class at Penn State Credit

At the puppy class, raisers brought their four month old puppies to practice their newly learned skills and to discuss any concerns that the owners might have. Activites included sit, stay, recall, and follow through. I thrououghly enjoyed meeting all of the raisers and seeing what a class is like. It made me super excited to one day raise a puppy!

At the clicker/orientation class, I learned about the background of Susquehanna Service Dogs and how the organization is run from breeding the puppies to placing them with their partners. During the clicker portion of the class, we practiced appropriate clicker timing and learned more about the process in which service dogs are trained. The three hour class flew by and only felt like a couple minutes.

A Service Dog in Action Credit

In Pets in Society class, we had a guest lecturer, Susan Tyson, from SSD, where we also learned about the organization and how service dogs are trained. Additionally, we had a class lecture about "Working Dogs." Service dogs are used as guide dogs, assistance animals, hearing dogs, seizure alert dogs, and function in dual roles, in specific health related aspects as well as companions. In this class I learned about the importance of service animals. Increased safety, independence, and reduced stress are only a few examples of benefits from service animals.

I loved attending the puppy class and clicker/orientation class and truly cannot wait until I can raise a puppy one day. It was neat to see how these experiences tied directly into our course material. Specifically, when we met with the guest lecturer and learned about service animals in class.