Anna Totherow appeared to be your average physical therapy (PT) graduate student at the University of North Georgia (UNG). But one thing set her apart while walking across campus — she had a puppy in tow.
Totherow, who graduated from UNG in May 2018 with her Doctor of Physical Therapy, trains puppies to become service dogs through the Guide Dog Foundation (GDF). Since August 2013, she has raised six puppies as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia (UGA) and graduate student at UNG.
"I knew I wanted to get involved with other students on the UGA campus and GDF had a good community in Athens," Totherow said.
Once she transferred to UNG for her doctoral degree in physical therapy, she continued her work as a puppy raiser. The UNG community was quite willing to accept her. The faculty and staff in UNG’s College of Health Sciences and Professions accommodated her need to bring the puppies to class.
Totherow even started a small GDF group in the UNG Dahlonega Campus community. Anna Knight, who graduated from UNG in December 2017, became a puppy raiser after meeting Totherow and her dogs.
"Pretty much anyone can be a puppy raiser, even students," Totherow said, explaining laws protect service animals and their owners from certain restrictions. "Any apartment should allow guide dogs to reside there without being subjected to a pet fee."
Plus, the 24-year-old Cumming, Georgia, native and current Dahlonega, Georgia, resident was looking forward to having her first dog.
"My mom really doesn't like dogs," she said. "So when I moved out, it was my chance to have a dog."
But Totherow knew the puppies were not her pets. After training and caring for a puppy from 8 weeks old to 14 to 18 months old, the puppy would receive more training as a guide dog for a person with disabilities, a service dog for a military veteran, or a bomb-sniffing dog.
During the year it takes to train a puppy, Totherow and other raisers are responsible for house-training and teaching the puppies manners, confidence and socialization. Puppies also learn basic commands such as "sit," "down," "stand," and "stay," and more specialized commands such as "find the stairs" and "find the doors."
"The biggest thing is guide dog puppies go to the bathroom on the leash on command on concrete," Totherow said, explaining many guide dogs work in big cities and owners may not have the ability to find grass for a dog to use the bathroom.
The puppies also accompany their raisers anywhere as part of the socialization process. Therefore, Totherow was seen in the classroom, in the library and on campus with a puppy.
Of the six dogs Totherow has trained, only two have become service dogs. Her first dog, Didi, was 10 months old when she was released from the program because she was scared of thunderstorms. Totherow was given a choice to adopt Didi, and she did.
"Every puppy has a problem they have to work through, and most can work through it as they get older," Totherow said. "If they don’t improve, we look into releasing them. The GDF always does what's best for the dog."
Her second and third dogs were released for various reasons. Her fourth dog, Harlin, was medically released, so Totherow adopted him.
"I struggled to raise puppies after Harlin," she said, admitting it was demoralizing to have four dogs released from the program.
But she persisted and raised Suzie, a golden retriever, who was her first successful dog.
"She is a bomb-sniffing dog in New York," Totherow said with a smile.
Now, she is training a poodle named Howard, who Totherow said has the "work ethic and temperament of a guide dog."
During her time with the dogs, Totherow said many people stopped her on campus to ask about them.
"Random people say 'I had a bad day, do you mind if I pet your dog?'" Totherow said. "I'm OK with it if they ask."
For more information about being a puppy raiser or guide dogs, visit the Guide Dog Foundation website.
