“This experience has truly changed my life in the best ways possible,” puppy-raiser and Paws on Deck President Kylea Hegen said.“It is not the easiest task and it takes a lot of time and dedication, but it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life and I would do it all over again.”
Hegen is a senior at Millersville University who has been raising a service dog, Marlin, since Feb. 14, 2025, when she first got him with her co-raiser Morgan Miller. Hegen first joined Paws of Deck because she wanted to get involved on-campus, and after attending a partner visit meeting, she decided this was the club for her.
Not everyone in Paws on Deck takes on raising a service dog for Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), but the organization acts as a support system and guidance for those that choose to become puppy raisers. Hegen also had extra support in her co-raiser, Miller.
“I fell in love with SSD’s message and the message Paws on Deck was trying to spread to our campus, and I wanted to do more,” Hegen said. “It was definitely not an easy decision deciding if I wanted to raise on campus, but I knew that I had a great support system with the other club members and my family so I was so excited.”
Raising a service dog on campus is no easy task. Puppy raisers get the dog when they are eight weeks old, and are then responsible for potty and crate training them. For the first eight weeks after getting the dog, trainers then take them to Early Socialization classes, where they teach the dogs to cues such as “sit” and “down,” along with skills such as walking on a leash properly. After this the puppies are then evaluated by trainers, and can move on to the other classes.
The next class that SSDs move to is the purple level class, which is bi-weekly for eight weeks. These classes teach the dogs more cues, while also perfecting old ones and any behavioral issues. The last class is the green level class, where SSDs add in more advanced cues, while focusing on working more out in public. The green level class lasts about eight months, still meeting bi-weekly.
SSD dogs also have a one year evaluation, where the trainers evaluate if the puppy will go to Advanced Training. Advanced Training is the last step of the process, where the dogs relocate to training facilities during the week to work with professional trainers one on one. At Advanced Training SSDs learn the specific cues needed for their future partner.
The SSDs are not the only ones learning during this process, their raisers also learn a lot from raising a service dog.
“It has taught me so many new skills like time management, communication, patience, and being able to advocate for myself and Marlin when it comes to going into public,” Hegen said. “Also, knowing that I am doing something that will truly impact another person’s life makes it so much more important and so much more fun. Being able to take the skills that I have learned and using them in a completely different setting will be the most important part.”
It is not easy to be a puppy raiser, especially since most are full-time students, have jobs, and are involved throughout campus. Paws on Deck works hard to help wherever they can in this process, along with the motivation of knowing that as a puppy raiser, you are doing something that will one day help someone else.
“I think knowing that I am doing something to help a person that truly needs it has been the best and most motivating part of this,” Hegen said. “Knowing that there are always others that I can easily go to if I need a favor or advice is so amazing. Marlin was truly the best puppy, and I feel like I got so lucky. He is such a happy guy and he made it so much easier to enjoy the training.”
It is a hard choice to give up what little free time that comes with being in college to raising a service dog, but this experience not only helps others, but can help the raiser themself. This experience can even become one of the highlights of the puppy raiser’s college experience.
“It has been amazing,” Hegen said. “I knew what I was getting myself into but at the same time I didn’t. The community and my love for raising has grown so much and I am so grateful that I took a leap of faith and started raising.”
