USF St. Pete has a new student living in the dorms -- but this one has four legs.
- USF St. Pete students raise first Southeastern Guide dog on campus
- Nonprofit, university teamed up to start Puppy Love Club
- Students able to learn training techniques, help raise puppies
- How to help raise a puppy
The 3-month-old yellow lab puppy named Petey moved in Wednesday. The dorm will be his home for the next year, living alongside senior Stephanie Campos.
"I was so excited,” Campos said. "I have personally never had a dog so I am just over the moon. He is adorable. I already love him.”
Petey is a future Southeastern Guide Dog. The nonprofit teamed up with the university about a year ago when the Puppy Love Club started.
Students got the opportunity to learn training techniques and help others raise puppies, but this is the first time a puppy will be raised on campus. There are 20 club members who live on the first floor of the RHO Dorm in the new Living, Learning community called Puppy Love.
"It’s pretty incredible we are able to impact our community this way and just help other people that are visually impaired or blind because they give them their independence back,” Campos said.
Petey will go everywhere with Campos. In about a month he will even be able to attend class with her. Campos will also take Petey home during school breaks.
Southeastern Guide Dogs said USF St. Pete is the perfect spot to raise Petey, who is named after the city.
Leslie Shepard, Director of Puppy Raising Services, said the urban setting exposes the puppies to a lot of good things and that a puppy raised attending classes could potentially be a good match for a disabled college student.
"Also, getting exposed to all the young people and all the activities,” Shepard said. "It’s exciting. It builds their reference libraries for when they become service dogs. It’s an amazing opportunity.”
Campos said the only downside is knowing she can’t keep Petey forever.
“It is going to be a really sad day,” Campos said. "I will have to give him back and probably take a couple of weeks to recuperate, but honestly a lot of people, I have heard, get another puppy to fill the hole,” Campos said.
After spending about 14 - 16 months with Campos, Petey will go back to Southeastern Guide Dogs for another six months of intensive harness training. Trainers will then decide if he should be matched with a visually impaired person, a veteran with PTSD or another disability.
Southeastern Guide Dogs said it hopes it can place more puppies to be raised at USF St. Pete in the future.
The nonprofit is in extreme need for more puppy raisers. If you would like to help, click here.