Two dogs trained at Mississippi State University have recently graduated as service dogs and are now working, marking firsts for Puppies with a Purpose, a student organization that raises and trains future guide and service animals.
Phoenix, a black Labrador retriever, now serves as a facility dog at a military hospital through America’s VetDogs, and Nelin, another black Labrador, recently became a guide dog through the Guide Dog Foundation. Phoenix is Puppies with a Purpose’s first dog to graduate through America’s VetDogs.
Jacob Rose, the organization’s community relations officer and a senior special education major, said the group has raised several successful dogs since it was founded in 2021. Nelin now joins Yogi and Miles, Puppies with a Purpose’s first two puppies to graduate as guide dogs from the Guide Dog Foundation.
He said two additional dogs from MSU are currently in training with the Guide Dog Foundation. The organization has also seen two dogs graduate as scent detection dogs with MSA Security, with a third currently being evaluated.
Some students in Puppies with a Purpose act as “raisers,” the primary handlers who train the dogs in obedience, manners and foundational service skills. Other students, or “campers,” assist them by dog-sitting throughout the day, providing additional care and exposure to different environments when the raisers are busy.
Members said the training process is very hands-on and consistent. Hope Cecil, a senior in wildlife veterinary medicine, co-raised Phoenix along with senior animal and dairy science major Makenna Bailey.
Bailey said she had known about the organization before attending MSU and planned to be involved.
“The involvement with puppies is what drew me in, but the true goal of the club and the amazing work that campers and raisers get to be a part of is what kept me involved,” Bailey said.
Bailey said the dogs accompany their handlers to most of their daily activities.
“These pups accompany us to most of our daily activities like class, grocery shopping and club meetings,” Bailey said. “The hardest part is remembering they’re just dogs, they’ll make mistakes, and that’s okay.”
Olivia Roberts, a junior veterinary medical technologies major, co-raised Nelin. She discovered Puppies with a Purpose at an Academic Insight Day and joined in her freshman year.
“When I heard about an informational meeting during my freshman year, I immediately had to go,” Roberts said. “I saw all the puppies and I was hooked.”
Roberts said balancing college life with training could be challenging, but collaboration with the campers made it possible.
“I felt guilty sometimes that he wasn’t getting enough attention,” Roberts said. “That’s where co-raisers and campers really help, I couldn’t do it without them.”
Roberts said raising Nelin helped her adjust to college life.
“It gave me purpose and helped me get over missing my own dogs and home,” she said. “Nelin got me through several stressful days at school, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Puppies with a Purpose partners with the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs to train future service animals. The organizations handle the breeding and final evaluation, while MSU students focus on early development and socialization.
Bailey said the foundation breeds are mostly Labradors because they are energetic and food motivated, but they also have poodles for people with allergies.
Cecil said the program taught her patience and showed her the importance of accessibility for people with service animals.
“Puppies With a Purpose brought me a community of people dedicated to making a difference,” Cecil said. “It’s amazing to see the many ways dogs can impact lives.
