Menlo News February 28, 2017

Menlo Students Train Guide Dogs

Freshmen Michelle Louie and Hailey Tsuda have been bringing service dogs-in-training to Menlo with them a few days a week since the start of second semester. Maudie Frye ’17 recently interviewed the girls for a Coat of Arms story.
Loiue and Tsuda pose with their pups.

Vanderbilt, a six-month-old black Lab puppy being raised by Tsuda for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and Dion, a one-year-old yellow Lab puppy being raised by Louie for Canine Companions for Independence, are both in the training process to help disabled people who need canine assistance.

Both dogs wear service vests while on duty, which means that students cannot come up and pet the dogs. However, when the dogs are not wearing the vests, the dogs are free to play and visit with the students. The girls noted how respectful students have been about asking to pet the dogs and realizing that the dogs are working. “They all […] ask to pet them, even when they have their vests off,” Louie said.

Although having a dog in class can sometimes be distracting, both girls would agree that the presence of their four-legged friends does not get in the way of their learning. “I’ll be working on the boards in math, and he’ll be on the other side of the room and be asleep,” Tsuda said. “That’s how it is most of the time, and in those cases, I don’t have to think about it.”

While raising a service dog is a substantial time commitment, the girls have expressed that they both have been able to find a balance between training their puppies and completing their schoolwork. “You sort of get to choose how much you want to train each day, but obviously there are certain things the dogs need to know how to do, but you get to decide how and when you want to train. I do all my homework before I train him,” Tsuda said. Unlike Tsuda, Louie does most of Dion’s training at school and allows Dion to have “puppy time” at home.

As one might imagine, seeing the result of raising a service dog is incredibly rewarding. “When you get to meet the person you’re helping, you realize that you’re really making an impact on someone’s life because of something you did. [Raising a dog] has the ability to change someone’s life,” Tsuda said.

At the end of Vanderbilt and Dion’s training, Tsuda and Louie will both go on to train other guide dogs. Louie will either become another puppy raiser, or she will take care of a breeder dog and her puppies. Tsuda will become another puppy raiser.

If you wish to get involved in either Guide Dogs for the Blind or Canine Companions for Independence, please reach out to Hailey Tsuda and Michelle Louie.