Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Scholar turns to raising leader dogs

 

Sarah Gidlewski is a typical Iowa State student, except for one small, furry fact—she brings a puppy to class with her every day. Don’t worry; she’s not breaking any rules. Gidlewski, a second-year industrial engineering major, is a puppy raiser with Leader Dogs for the Blind, an organization located in Rochester, Michigan.

Gidlewski is also a National Merit Scholar and Presidential Scholar. The prestigious scholarships allow Gidlewski to focus on things other than money, which frees up her time to study and serve the community through puppy raising. In fact, she chose industrial engineering because it allows her to explore her varied abilities and interests.

“Industrial engineering has a business aspect that worked for me,” Gidlewski recalls. “I like that it combines math, science, business, and people.”

A puppy raiser is a volunteer who raises a puppy from an organization specializing in breeding and training leader dogs—trained assistants for the blind, visually impaired, or deaf. The puppies are approximately seven weeks old when they go to live with their foster families and return to the organization when they are one year old. The primary responsibilities of a puppy raiser are to teach obedience and socialization, while still allowing the animal to be a puppy.   

Gidlewski teaches socialization to her current charge, Dani, a five-month-old golden retriever, by bringing Dani to campus with her. According to Leader Dogs for the Blind, puppies in training do not have access rights, so businesses must grant permission for the puppies to be on the premises. For this reason, Gidlewski had to obtain the university’s permission in order to bring Dani to her classes.

“The professors and students are very understanding and supportive,” Gidlewski says.

So, what is a typical day for Gidlewski and Dani?

“Basically, unless I have a lab or a test, it is just a normal day except that I have a dog with me,” she says.

Gidlewski packs a water bowl and “potty” bags along with her books. She also includes a few toys for Dani—after all, she is a young puppy—and Dani’s dinner if they will be out past 5 p.m. When Gidlewski and Dani attend classes, Dani sits on the floor and entertains herself with her favorite dinosaur toy. As Dani matures she will be required to go places without toys.

This unique experience is something that Gidlewski learned about in elementary school.

“I read two books about people who had leader dogs,” Gidlewski says. “Since then, the idea had been rolling around in the back of my mind.”

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