Our group started the day with an ice-breaking activity lead by Mr. Driscoll. We introduced ourselves and told the group about our own dogs at home and what we love most about them. Many shared that dogs make us happier because they provide unconditional love and are always there for us when we need them.
We then headed to the turf to meet with Sophia from Little Light KP. Sophia is a professional dog trainer whose goal is to always make life better for her clients and their canine companion. Her training plans are designed to be simple and progressive. This ensures both owners and dogs have great long-term success.
We returned to Alumni Hall to warm up by the fire for a bit before our next guest, Chris MacDonald P'23, arrived with his dogs Winnie (now retired) and Griffin. Chris is an investigator with the MA State Police Department and is also a handler to 3-year-old Griffin who is an Electronic Storage Detection K9. The ESD K9 program has proven to be an invaluable tool for law enforcement in searching for and recovering hidden electronics containing evidence and information in criminal cases.
After lunch, each of our 16 students were assigned a faculty dog to care for and train for the week.
To cap off an amazing first day, we enjoyed a very informative Zoom call with Jules who is a vet tech and dog-sled trainer/racer. Jules did a gap year after high school in Anchorage, Alaska where Jules' passion and knowledge for dog sled racing grew immensely. Jules graduated from Middlebury College and is currently in the process of applying to Vet School.
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