STEP@Pitt
STEP@Pitt is the Service Dog in Training Education Program on Pitt’s campus. STEP@Pitt is partnered with Canine Companions, a national nonprofit that provides highly trained service dogs to adults, children, and veterans with disabilities—at no cost to the individual. STEP@Pitt facilitates the relationship between Canine Companions and college puppy raisers.
The future service dogs are bred in Santa Rosa, California, through Canine Companions. All puppies are Labradors, Golden Retrievers, or a mix of the two. At about eight weeks old, they are transported to their volunteer puppy raisers. Our campus pups are part of the North Central and North Eastern Regions of Canine Companions. The puppy raisers are responsible for teaching the dogs 31 basic commands and socializing them in various environments for about a year and a half. A college campus is the perfect place to expose future service dogs to different situations! Our urban restaurants, libraries, lecture halls, sports arenas, and music halls provide great opportunities for their development.
When the dogs matriculate, they spend about six to nine months in professional training, where they learn advanced commands to prepare for working as service dogs. Some dogs are released throughout the process but can transition into other types of working roles or become therapy dogs. After professional training, they enter team training, where they meet people who are their potential matches. During this time, individuals and future service dogs work together to find the best pairings. Finally, at the Canine Companions graduation, the puppy raiser hands the leash off to their new partner, and they graduate as a team.
STEP@Pitt offers resources to make college puppy raising more accessible and works to raise awareness about service dogs in the Pitt community through the lens of Canine Companions Future Service Dogs. On average, our puppy raisers spend upwards of $3,000 to $5,000 on their pups. Our fundraising efforts on Pitt Day of Giving aim to provide financial support for the service dogs in training, covering costs such as vet visits, food, and preventative care. We are grateful for your support of STEP@Pitt and our Canine Companions Service Dogs in Training on campus!