Students and faculty here at Academy have the pleasure of owning dogs from this organization. Academy partners with Dogs Inc., which allows students to volunteer to help in any way they can.
Dogs Inc, formally known as Southeastern Guide Dogs, was founded in 1982 to train guide dogs for those who are blind in the Southeast. Since then, it has expanded to supply service dogs for veterans with disabilities, therapy dogs for military hospitals or first responders. It started with one instructor and three dogs, but now it has grown into a nonprofit organization with 700 guide dog and service dog teams all across the country.
The puppies born in Dogs Inc. are placed with puppy raisers, who are volunteers, when they are just ten weeks old. About a year later, they return to campus to begin their advanced training, which is when the dog chooses their “career path,” which is a guide dog, service dog, therapy dog, or skilled companion dog. If a dog does not choose any of these options, they may find their purpose as a scent detector or as a pet.
An individual looking for a guide dog fills out a form on the website, and within 18 months, they are accepted. When accepted, the individual stays at Dogs Inc. for three weeks. During the time stayed there, the person trains with their dog, along with the trainer, to be sure it’s a good fit.
“When I first got accepted and they told me three weeks, I thought, ‘gosh, really, three weeks,’ but you need every minute of it,” said Dennis Benham.
While there are dogs who go off to help those who need it, there are also dogs who become loving pets. Dogs who do not pass the training to become a guide or service dog, go through a “career change” which allows them to find a loving family who wants a pet.
“I knew about Southeastern Guide Dogs, and I knew there was a waiting list. I just filled out the application to get on the waiting list. We had always had a dog, it had been a few years since he passed, and having three younger children, we didn’t want a puppy. We wanted another lab since they’re the best family dogs, so we decided to just try and see if we could get a career changed dog. We were expecting a longer wait, but within a couple weeks, because of Covid and they wanted a home for their dogs before they closed down, we were able to find our dog,” said Neil McHugh.
“The dogs are trained to be some sort of service dog. Even though they were career changed, they still have their training, so he is and will always be a comfort dog,” said Dianna McHugh.
There are plenty of opportunities for Tampa families, especially Academy girls, to volunteer or donate. They can always use donations, since they do all these great things for people in need for free.
“I would absolutely recommend Dogs Inc, no question. They care more about the dog than they do the people because they want the dog to fit in with you, and that you two make a good team,” said Benham.
