NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Students at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) are fostering a diverse campus, one paw at a time. They're focused on creating a community through volunteering with guide dogs.
Ella Bernegger, a sophomore, is the founder of Guiding Eyes puppy raising at SCSU.
"Our old dog [Trent] passed away last year. He was a fail-out from this program, and he ended up having a very successful career in narcotic detection with my mom," Bernegger explained. Bernegger is training a 9-month-old yellow labrador retriever named Justice in honor of Trent.
Justice's training will eventually lead him to become a guide dog for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
She said she founded the group on campus because she wanted other students to be involved with this effort.
“It’s just been really nice to build this community with people who are interested in volunteer work or guiding eyes that organization but also just people who want to hang out and meet him as well," Bernegger said.
The group on campus is always looking for more volunteers.
“You’re the one carrying the dog as hopefully he’ll be helping someone else one day,” she said.
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