College Students Train Future Guide Dogs

Puppy-raising clubs at universities help prepare service animals for their important roles.

Mar. 3, 2026 at 7:39am

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At the University of Maryland and other colleges, students are taking on the responsibility of training future guide dogs for the blind. By having the puppies live with them in dorms and join them in classes, the students expose the dogs to a wide range of social situations to prepare them for their eventual roles as service animals. The experience is rewarding for both the students, who get the companionship of a furry friend, and the nonprofit organizations that rely on these campus-based training programs.

Why it matters

The guide dog training programs at colleges provide an invaluable service, giving people with vision impairments the independence and mobility they need. The exposure to thousands of people and diverse environments on campus helps socialize the puppies and get them ready for the real-world challenges they'll face. For the students, raising these service dogs is a meaningful way to give back and make a difference in someone's life.

The details

At the University of Maryland, the student-run club Terps Raising Pups works with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind to train future guide dogs. Members like junior Julie Gray take the puppies with them to classes, meals, and other campus activities, putting the dogs through exercises to build their patience and obedience. After around 14 months of this hands-on training, the dogs are sent to the Guide Dog Foundation headquarters to complete their preparation and be paired with a handler.

  • In September 2022, Gray first learned about the Terps Raising Pups club and signed up to help care for the training dogs.
  • In the fall of 2022, Gray volunteered to raise a 3-month-old black Labrador retriever named Lulu.
  • In January 2024, after about 14 months of training, Lulu was sent to the Guide Dog Foundation headquarters to be paired with a handler.

The players

Julie Gray

A junior at the University of Maryland majoring in neurobiology and physiology, Gray is the president of the Terps Raising Pups club and has raised multiple service dogs in training, including Lulu, Hope, and Emmett.

Dannielle Schutz

A 23-year-old research coordinator at Texas Tech University who was paired with a guide dog named Percy, a black Labrador retriever, in June.

Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind

A nonprofit organization that provides service dogs to people with vision impairments and has partnered with college programs like Terps Raising Pups to help train the puppies.

Terps Raising Pups

The University of Maryland student club that works with the Guide Dog Foundation to raise and train future service dogs on campus.

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What they’re saying

“She makes my life better in so many ways.”

— Dannielle Schutz

“Treating them for doing nothing is kind of what we do at this age.”

— Julie Gray, Club President, Terps Raising Pups

What’s next

The Guide Dog Foundation will continue to work with college programs like Terps Raising Pups to identify and train future service dogs to be paired with handlers in need.

The takeaway

The guide dog training programs at colleges provide invaluable real-world experience for the puppies while also giving students a meaningful way to make a difference. These partnerships highlight the power of community-based initiatives to improve the lives of people with disabilities.