My name is Carly Bricker, and I am a senior Environmental and Field Biology Major with minors in Environmental Studies and Spanish from Eaton, Ohio. I have been a member of Polar Paws since the spring of my freshman year. Polar Paws works directly with 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, OH. 4 Paws is an organization that works to train service dogs for children and veterans with disabilities such as seizures, autism and mobility assistance.
Here on campus, there are primaries and secondaries. Whether you’re a primary or a secondary, you will go through the same training process as one another. Primaries have the dog with them 24/7 while secondaries are the sitters who watch the dogs when their primary is unable too.
To become a member of Polar Paws at ONU, you will first fill out a form, linked here, on the 4 Paws website to sign up to become a volunteer trainer, specifying which type of volunteer trainer you would like to be. From there, you will begin to get emails from 4 Paws. The first step for the process after this is attending a Zoom meeting with other college students who also want to become a volunteer trainer, learn more about the organization and what they do in terms of training service dogs. Next, you’ll need to schedule a time to go in-person and get an orientation of the 4 Paws facility in Xenia.
Lastly, you’ll need to go back to 4 Paws one more time to attend three in-person training sessions. All of the sessions take place in one day and are less than two hours long all together. These sessions are attended by others who wish to be a volunteer as there are more ways to be a volunteer outside of college campuses. At these sessions, you will learn some of the basic commands you will be teaching the dogs you train, as well as how to properly handle and take care of the dogs. Basically, the do’s and don’ts of service dog training.
Once you’ve completed the training, you are ready to start watching the dogs on your school campus! We can get a dog as young as eight weeks old and can have them for up to one and a half years. At this age, the dogs go back to 4 Paws in Xenia for advanced training (AT) for another six months. At any point during this process, a dog can be flunked, meaning it will not become a service dog. This then means that they are adoptable, giving the primary handler first dibs. If the primary cannot take the dog, then they will go up for adoption and ultimately become someone else’s pet. These dogs are called Fabulous Flunkies. We here in Polar Paws and everyone at 4 Paws loves each dog no matter what their outcome may be.
Aside from the process it takes to become a service dog trainer, what I have gained from my experience as a member of Polar Paws here at ONU? It’s hard to put into words just how grateful I am to be a part of such an amazing organization.
I was inspired to join this organization my freshman year because of my older sister. My sister was born with special needs and, although my family never had a service dog, my sister and my family were around service dogs often. By being around service dogs and having a sibling with special needs, this became my driving force to want to be a Polar Paws member. The impact that service dogs can have on some is tremendous. They can change someone’s life in many ways. Dogs, in general, are such amazing animals to begin with. They have so much care and compassion for the people around them and that is why I love them. I have gained so many furry friends over the years and they’ve truly made a difference in my life. I had gained insight into how strenuous of a process it is for a dog to become a service dog.
Many dogs both pass and don’t pass their training. It’s a tough process not only for the dog, but also their handler. It’s certainly hard to see a dog you’ve put work into not make it but it’s comforting in the end knowing that they will still end up in the right place after all, getting to be someone’s wonderful pet. I have learned many life skills through Polar Paws such as patience, control and how to be stern. Aside from all the training, the dogs have brought me so much joy. On a day when I may be feeling sad or mad, getting to watch a dog for even just a few minutes never fails to make me laugh and smile. They are such goofy individuals each with their own personalities.
Overall, I have learned from being a part of this organization. I have grown through being in this organization too. I’ve grown my skills as an independent leader and in taking the reins when it comes to training a potential service dog. I love each and every dog I’ve gotten the privilege to meet. I know I have made an impact larger than myself which makes me proud to be a part of this process. Polar Paws and the dogs have left a lasting impression on me for years to come. I will never forget the opportunity I was given to help train dogs to make a difference in someone else’s life, four paws at a time!