It’s a Dog’s Life: UD Student Raises Puppies for Service Animal Training
When University of Delaware (UD) senior Jamie Klemm graduates this spring, she’ll have family, loved ones, and friends cheering her on — including one with four paws.
Klemm is the vice president of Collar Scholars, one of three student organizations on the university campus that raises service dogs to support people in need. Collar Scholars is affiliated with Canine Companions, a national nonprofit that offers service dogs for free to individuals with disabilities and provides dogs to serve in public settings such as courtrooms and schools.
“Raising a puppy for a service dog program is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Klemm said in a news article published on UD’s website. “It’s not just about the dog; it’s about the person who will one day rely on that dog to help them live more independently.”
Her canine companion this spring, Morado, is the third service animal Klemm has raised during her studies at UD. Klemm said raising a puppy like Morado requires care from the time the animal is 8 weeks old until it is 15 to 18 months old.
Those who raise the puppies socialize the animals, teaching them appropriate behaviors around people and training them to become aware of their surroundings. To help with this socialization, Klemm takes Morado to classes, her job at UD’s Career Center, the buildings at UD, and supermarkets and retail stores. She gave her last dog a very special field trip to an aquarium.
Klemm, who will begin law school in the fall, said her work with Collar Scholars may inspire her to pursue a practice in disability law.
Speaking about the experience, Klemm said, “You raise them, train them, and fall in love with them. Then, when the time comes to send them to professional training, it’s hard to let them go,” she said. “But knowing that they are going to help someone in the future makes it all worth it.”