Lily Deltcheva is a University student and guide dog trainer. She shared her experiences training her 12-week-old golden retriever guide dog, Freddie, with The Red & Black.

How did you get involved in the guide dog training program?
I went to guidedogs.org and I filled out an application. It’s a national program, so the program is run by area. They gave me the number of the area coordinator for the program and I met with them.

What happens after the meeting?
Once you get a dog, you have to go to a few meetings with the coordinator to make sure the dog is progressing and learning what he should do to become a future guide dog. They also want to make sure my schedule isn’t too hectic to train a dog, since it takes a lot of time and energy. I also had to do an at-home interview to make sure that my house was puppy-proof and a safe environment for the dog.

How is Freddie’s training going?
Training is an ongoing process because I constantly have to socialize him. That is why so many guide dog puppies are on campus. Then I train him five times a day teaching regular demands. It’s amazing how fast he is learning. The meetings tell you what you should be teaching.

How long do you have the dog?
After one year they get sent to professional training in New York. It is always around one year, but when I have taught Freddie as much as I can, that is when he gets sent to professional training.

Is it hard to know you’ll have to give him up?
I’m starting to get attached. At first when he was peeing in the house I couldn’t wait to get rid of him, but now that he’s progressing I am very attached. I have trouble leaving him at home for an hour. I don’t know how I’m going to do it in a year.

What happens if the dog doesn’t make the cut to be a guide dog?
If they don’t become a guide dog, they can become a disability dog for people in wheelchairs or a comfort dog for hospital patients to love on and cuddle with. If all else fails, they offer the dog back to the person who trained it as a puppy. So, potentially, I could get Freddie back, but he’s really smart so I doubt it. If the trainer doesn’t want them, there is a long waiting list of people who do.