Aviation Business Administration Student Takes a Paws for a Cause

The Aviation Business Administration major has taken on the challenge of training a guide dog for Southeastern Guide Dog Foundation, an organization that has been breeding and training guide, service and companion dogs for veterans with disabilities, people with vision loss and children with significant challenges since 1982.

Despite the 10-to-11-month commitment and not having any prior dog training experience, Frankie wasn’t deterred.

”I am in no way a certified dog trainer,” he admitted. “[I am providing] basic training all the way up to intermediate/high level. I’m just giving him the experiences to be able to then [move on] for an additional four months with a professional trainer.”

Dogs are initially screened for their trainers based on temperament. For Frankie, it was important he be paired with a dog who could not only handle the hustle and bustle of a busy college campus, but also be able to stay quiet and calm in a classroom setting.

Meet Harrison

Enter Harrison, a five-month-old yellow Labrador retriever who has already become somewhat of a celebrity on campus. Guide and service dogs in-training were once a common sight at Embry‑Riddle; however, the advent of COVID-19 saw those numbers drop drastically, something Frankie hopes to change leading by example.

Because Harrison is in training, he is granted all the rights and allowances that an already certified guide dog has. This means wherever Frankie goes, Harrison is allowed to be; from the supermarket to church to campus events, he is always by Frankie’s side. He’s even been to court – the basketball court, that is – to watch our very own Eagles play.

A day in the life of Frankie and Harrison, who live together in a campus dormitory, typically begins with breakfast and a quick potty break for Harrison, who then patiently waits in his crate for Frankie to get ready.

“The crate is his home,” he said. “He loves to hang out there.”

Frankie said he has to set aside about 45 extra minutes to get ready in the morning to account for making sure Harrison’s needs are attended to, which can be a challenge.

“If I’m in a rush to go to class, I have to take into account that I still have to take care of him,” he said.

The pair then head to work at the student union, where Frankie is a campus tour guide, or to the student leadership suite where he’s a student assistant. They then head to class where Harrison can usually be found resting underneath Frankie’s seat. Once classes are done for the day, it’s Harrison’s turn to go to school.

“Puppy kindergarten” includes teaching basic commands (sit, stay, lie down), as well as pad training, which consists of Harrison following directions with his front paws on a pad. This teaches him proper body positioning which will help him when he moves onto more advanced training.

Frankie is also working with Harrison on his street smarts. As a guide dog in training, Harrison will be responsible for the safety of his handler, which includes navigating both pedestrian and vehicle traffic. He is learning to feel specific textures on the sidewalk that indicate they are at a crosswalk.

“When he feels that, he is supposed to know to sit down,” explained Frankie. “That way he’ll alert the handler and eventually sense if it’s safe to cross.”

Every other weekend, Frankie and Harrison meet up with other trainers where they go on excursions to places like malls, parks and other types of open settings. This gives both the pups and their trainers some much-needed interaction.

However, Frankie described every day as an excursion, even the simple task of walking from the dormitory to class. He described how the sights and sounds in a simple walk can prove to be a distraction for a dog Harrison’s age, but that he is getting better at maintaining his focus.

Frankie & Harrison's Journey

Frankie knows his time with Harrison is limited but feels the whole experience will be worth it in the end.

“Yeah, I'll be sad to see him go,” Frankie admitted. “But knowing what he’s going to do, I think it’ll be pretty easy.”

He will also get the opportunity to see his hard work with Harrison come to fruition at the end of the dog’s training journey.

“I get invited to graduation from the academy to get to see him graduate from full training, and I get to see him work with his owner for the first day,” he said.

As for who will get to make Harrison a member of their family, that has yet to be determined; but experts at Southeastern Guide Dog Foundation will evaluate the qualities of both the dog and veteran to be able make the perfect match.

What if Harrison doesn’t make the cut as a guide dog? Southeastern Guide Dogs will find another way he can be of service, albeit for therapy, bomb or drug-sniffing, search and rescue or something else.

“They have all these different avenues they can try to repurpose the dog for,” explained Frankie. “We won’t know for another four or five months if [Harrison] is still on that track.”

Until then, Frankie is focused on both himself and Harrison getting through the rest of the semester and looking forward to training the dog in a different setting, possibly at an internship.

“It’ll be a bit different than a college campus, but I think he’ll do well wherever we end up.”