GCU student changes lives by preparing pups for service
By Sarah Lewis
Slobbery kisses, smacking tails, fluffy fur and flapping ears — no one can deny the delight a puppy brings to life. But imagine giving that up every time the puppy turns a year-and-a-half.
That thought seems unbearable. But for Grand Canyon University junior Catalina Eshelman, the sacrifice is worth it.
“Once you start raising guide dog puppies, you won’t stop,” Eshelman said. “It’s almost addicting.”
Eshelman knows this firsthand. She researched Guide Dogs of America (GDA) for her senior project in high school and fell in love with the organization and how it helps the community. What started as a school project quickly turned into a lifelong passion for Eshelman.
As a part of her research, Eshelman raised a guide dog puppy.
“I was just trying to find a topic that I was passionate about,” Eshelman said. “Growing up we’ve always had a dog, so I wanted to figure out a way to bring dogs into this project.”
As a puppy raiser, she is responsible for teaching the puppies basic commands, socializing them and making them comfortable interacting with people and the world around them. Although she doesn’t dip into the actual guide dog training, she is still responsible for building a puppy that is trustworthy and obedient.
Eshelman took on all the responsibilities for her first dog, Dublin, even taking him to school with her. Then she got her family hooked. They are now on their third dog and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“If it weren’t for [Catalina] really igniting that fire in the family, then who knows if they would’ve ever done this,” said Mindy Romero, manager of canine development at GDA.
Although none of her dogs have graduated to become guide dogs, Eshelman remains determined, aware of the impact she can have on others.
“Someone’s going to be able to have this dog and use them for seeing, and that’s incredible,” Eshelman said. “This dog is going to do crazy things, so just remembering that has been really important.”
The dog that is raised in a puppy raising home can go on to help someone who’s visually impaired, has autism or is a veteran with PTSD or mobility issues.
The work done by puppy raisers helps individuals like Lorri Bernson, who lost her sight from diabetes at 33.
During this time, Bernson had to adapt to a new way of experiencing the world. Luckily, with the help of GDA and its puppy raisers, she has a dog that makes it easier to do so.
According to a study done in 2019, owning a service dog has proven physical and psychological benefits for their handlers, such as “better emotional functioning, social functioning, and work/school functioning.”
After receiving her first guide dog, Bernson says she noted an increase in mobility, confidence, independence and sociability.
“It gives me the greatest opportunities to do the things that I want to do, versus what I’m limited to,” Bernson said. “It’s not so much about what I can’t do, it becomes oh look what I can do.”
Bernson is on her third guide dog from GDA and is extremely grateful for the work done by everyone along the way, especially puppy raisers like Catalina.
“It’s a really big piece of their heart that they’re giving, and it amazes me,” Bernson said. “I mean, I’m a recipient and I couldn’t do it.”
Raising puppies is the first step, and arguably most important one, in training and eventually pairing a dog with a person in need.
“The love and the work and the time [puppy raisers] put in to making these dogs, making them available to change my life in the way that my dogs have, is the biggest blessing and the biggest gift,” Bernson said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have guide dogs.”
With the demand for service dogs increasing and only about 40% of dogs graduating from the program, the role of puppy raisers is vital to continue providing people the dog they desperately need.
Puppy raisers must raise puppies eager to learn and willing to work with people. They instill teamwork skills in the puppies from a young age, which prove valuable later in the process.
“The dog has its responsibilities, and the handler has its responsibilities,” said Jamie Hunt, assistant director of programs at GDA. “In order for them to grow and flourish and really become a solidified team, they have to work together.”
Without puppy raisers, the trainers wouldn’t be able to do the job they do.
“I just don’t think the dogs would be prepared to go into formal training at our program if they didn’t have the puppy raiser for the first year and a half of their life,” Romero said.
It’s a domino effect, and puppy raising is the thing that catalyzes the rest of the program. GDA would not be nearly as successful in impacting hundreds of lives without the commitment and dedication of its puppy raisers.
“I think puppy raisers are the most selfless people on the planet,” Bernson said. “I mean the fact that they can take in a dog for over a year and then give it up — knowing that there’s people like that changes my life.”
Puppy raising isn’t for the faint-hearted. The ups and downs go beyond making it past the teething stage and teenage years of a puppy’s life.
As ordinary people, it can feel like a lot of pressure raising a dog that someone will rely on one day. The time and dedication that puppy raisers put into that training create a strong bond between the puppy and its raiser. This can be hard to let go of.
In this difficult time, it’s important to remember the bigger purpose behind puppy raising.
“You’re not giving it back, you’re paying it forward,” Romero said. “You are creating a magical gift for somebody who is — it’s going to change their life. So, don’t look at it like giving the dog back; it’s just paying the dog forward to someone who deserves it.”
Eshelman’s experience went beyond teaching dogs basic commands. For her, it was an opportunity to connect with people she may never have been able to.
“I’m not specifically a people-person, but this is a way I can help people and still do it in a way that I enjoy,” Eshelman said. “I love spending time with animals, and dogs specifically, so I think this is a perfect opportunity to help people in a way that suits my skills.”
There’s a community that forms between puppy raisers, as people from all backgrounds and walks of life come together for a common goal. Eshelman plans on bringing this sense of community with her onto the GCU campus.
“Through the community I found in my puppy raiser group, I learned to connect with people of all mindsets,” Eshelman said. “This is helpful because GCU has such a diverse student population, so I am able to use those skills to build a community on campus similar to the one I found in the puppy raiser group.”
Through the puppy raising program, Catalina grew to live a life of service, filled with purpose. Although raising a puppy can be stressful and hard at times, the process is rewarding and Eshelman wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I think considering the future of the dog, and even though you do get really attached, just thinking about how special that dog is going to be and how important it is going to be in someone else’s life is the end goal.” Eshelman said. “Giving them up is going to suck, but it’s going to be really worth it.”
For more information on the puppy raising program, visit Guide Dogs of America.