SOUTH KINGSTOWN – At this year’s University of Rhode Island commencement ceremonies, 4,122 students and two dogs walked.
For the past two years, the four-legged graduates have participated in URI’s Puppy Raisers Club, which trains dogs to become service animals for blind individuals in the community. The dogs, Navy and Marcus, both black Labrador retrievers, have been trained by the club’s founding members, Caitlyn Landry of Vernon, Conn., and Kaitlin Kohut of Holbrook, N.Y.
“I’ve had Navy since last May when he was 8 weeks old, and he’s very lovable, a good listener and really willing to work,” said Landry in prepared remarks.
Her statement explained the dogs attended classes with the two students as part of their training, and the club has held seminars on how to approach a guide dog in training.
Seeing the dogs on campus, she added in the remarks, “gives the students and faculty some stress relief.”
After graduation, Landry plans to move to Patterson, N.J., to work as a technician for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Kohut, a wildlife and conservation biology major, is seeking a job as a biologist.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a PBN staff writer. Email her at Gowdey-Backus@PBN.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey.