Puppy love with purpose

“I know that dog! He’s in my neuro-psych class.”   

It’s a line Lucy Kallaher ’28 hears often as she walks across campus with Finn, the 10-month-old black Labrador and guide dog in training. Lucy and Finn are part of TBreds Raising Pups, a Skidmore club that gives students the opportunity to raise future service dogs.   

The club was founded in 2022 by Sophie Zuckman ’26, who had trained guide dogs throughout high school and wanted to continue raising at Skidmore. “I could have raised them independently, but I wanted to make it more impactful for the Skidmore community,” Sophie explains.

The club has grown tremendously since then, beginning with only a single dog in training to now having seven on campus in fall 2025.    

In partnership with the Guide Dog Foundation in Smithtown, New York, Skidmore students raise and socialize the dogs until they are ready for finishing school, where professional trainers will prepare them for service.  

It’s a big commitment: Those who raise the dogs attend puppy training classes, coordinate puppy-sitting and, most importantly, live with the dogs, training them day to day.  

For Lucy, joining the club was an easy decision. “Since I could talk, I’ve begged my parents for a dog,” she said, pointing to a dog tattoo on her arm. She grew up with two dogs at home and even raised a litter of puppies for her high school capstone project.  

However, living with Finn has changed her daily routine quite a bit. When she wakes up, she takes Finn for a walk and practices his commands. Then she gives him breakfast and plays with him to get his energy out before class. They go everywhere together — from hangouts on Case Green to psychology lectures. “The hardest part is definitely balancing normal life at college with taking care of him,” Lucy says.  

 She carries a bag filled with treats to give him as she trains him through the day, and the words “sit” and “drop it” have now become a part of her everyday vocabulary.  

Finn has won over nearly everyone he’s met. He joins her in study sessions on sunny days, rolling around in the grass, and in hallways, fellow classmates stop to say hello.  

As Lucy and another student raise Finn, Lucy says the most rewarding part of the experience is seeing his progress. “The first class I ever took him to, he started rolling around in the middle of the floor. I had no idea what to do.”  Finn has since learned to sit quietly and listen attentively (though he does tend to sleep in class).

After his time at Skidmore, Finn will go to finishing school where he’ll complete his training and go on to graduate as a service dog. “It’s tough seeing them off but knowing how much they will positively impact someone’s life is a tremendous consolation,” Sophie says. 

When asking Lucy about her time raising Finn, the takeaway is simple. “It’s an experience you’re never going to get again. Do it.”