Skypups for the Blind is a brand new organization at the University of Tennessee at Martin. It all started when four college students decided that they wanted to help make a difference in the lives of others. One of these students, Brydon Mckowen, had previously raised guide dog puppies when she lived in Texas. Brydon stated, “when I returned my first puppy for formal training it was nerve racking and emotional, but I knew that if the puppy made it through it would give independence to someone with impared vision. I knew it could really help make a difference in someone's life”. She wanted to get back to raising puppies but since Guide Dogs for the Blind did not extend to Tennessee she did not know where to go through to get a puppy. After lots of research they finally found Leader Dogs for the Blind based out of Michigan. After more research the students decided that this was how they wanted to make a difference. So they then began the process of starting a new student organization. They encountered a few bumps along the way, but they persevered. After eight months of waiting, the students were finally approved for the organization that they had been anticipating for so long.

In these eight months, the students spent countless hours researching the procedures for getting, raising, and training a puppy that would hopefully become a guide dog. They also spent many hours coming up with the guidelines that they would follow for this organization. The students wanted to be sure that this organization would be successful even after they all graduate. After approval by the University, the students were finally able to apply with Leader Dog to become a raiser. They have decided that for the first year of this organization they will only get two dogs. The number of puppies has been capped at six Future Leader Dogs being raised at a time in their by-laws, but they wanted to make sure they have everything right before adding others. The first two raisers will be raised by Brydon Mckowen and Katijane Shoffner. They decided that it would be best to stagger their pick up times, so Brydon got the first puppy on May 1st and Katijane will be picking up her puppy on June 12th. After anxiously waiting, Brydon received an email enclosing the details of when she could go and pick up her puppy. These plans were slightly altered due to Covid-19, but the joy of receiving a puppy to start their journey of positive impact outweighed the bad, and the anticipation made it even sweeter. 

Their patience finally paid off when they were able to make the 11 hour journey to pick up their first puppy. Soon they would have a little puppy with a big job ahead of him. Then came the time that they had long awaited. Lincoln was brought out to them, a small black lab with huge paws. The first puppy of Skypups for the Blind was up for his first task, naming. “I wanted something to represent the state where we were raising him, so I knew I wanted him to be named after a county. I couldn’t decide between Hardin or Lincoln so I said both to him, and he perked his ears to Lincoln. I guess you could say he picked his own name,” says Brydon as she smiled recalling the moment. 

These puppies begin their training as soon as the raisers pick them up. While they do still have time to be a puppy, they also know that when their vest or bandana is on it's time to work. The raisers will keep the puppies until they are about 16 months old. The puppies will learn all types of commands to help them hopefully become a successful guide dog. Some examples of just a few of these skills are relieving on command, loose leash walking, and remaining undistracted in busy settings. 

The organization Skypups for the Blind will be available for membership starting this fall semester at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Lincoln, along with another puppy soon to come within the month, will begin attending classes with their raisers in the club. Along with training future leader dogs, the club’s other goal is to educate the fellow student body on service dog etiquette. The organization plans on bringing in different guest speakers in order to teach the dos and don'ts around service animals. The University of Tennessee at Martin has been very helpful throughout the entire process. Their Veterinary Science program will be providing all of the vet care at no cost to the students who will be raising the puppies. Dr. Jason Roberts who is the faculty advisor in charge of this organization was happy to tell us “I am looking forward to working with the Skypups organization on campus. This is a great service learning experience for our students. I appreciate Brydon and Katijane taking leadership roles in forming the Skypups student organization. This is a great opportunity for UTM students.”

Although you cannot become a raiser until you have been in the club for a certain amount of time, you can become a puppy sitter or just become a general member of the club. Puppy sitters will have to apply with Skypups for the Blind. Once accepted, they are able to watch the puppies when the raisers are unavailable. Puppy sitters will be important when the primary raiser has a class that the future leader dog is unable to attend or if the raiser goes on vacation and can't bring the puppy along.

Follow the journey of these puppies in our next issues as this will be a new series in our Pets Section. You can also follow their journey on their instagram page skypups_for_the_blind