Sawyer is a 5-year-old standard poodle with a job to do.
He can carry up to 20 pounds on his back and is learning how to help people down the stairs and open doors.
Dr. Carolyn Worthen, director of the Vet Tech program, has recently started training him as a service dog and said both he and she are learning together.
“I’ve done a lot of training and a lot of behavior work in my past,” Worthen said. “But I’ve never had to train a dog to do this before, so I’m learning as I go.”
Before Sawyer was a service dog, he was a rescue dog. Worthen attained him through the Standard Poodle Rescue while he was still a puppy. Sawyer, his mother and his sister were taken from a hoarding situation and were given to the organization.
Worthen started training him as a service dog less than four months ago.
“We’ve always expected basic obedient behavior out of him, it’s just taking it to the next level,” Worthen said. “There’s no such thing as old dogs when they’re learning. They can all learn.”
A typical day for Sawyer starts no later than 7 a.m. He is fed breakfast and is let outside to do his business. Worthen then calls for Sawyer and they head to Sinclair. When they arrive, Worthen dresses him in his red vest and he carries her bags during the day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he accompanies her to class and teaches students proper behavior around service dogs.
Worthen said while he’s not working, he acts like a typical dog: He’s laid back, playful and adopts bad habits, such as pulling on the leash.
“He’s smart, but he’s pretty lazy. So if he can get away without doing something, he will,” Worthen said. “The part of working that he prefers [the most] is greeting people and taking naps. So I guess you’d say he’s a typical college-aged student. He’s more into the social aspect of school.”
She said most students that see Sawyer around campus usually smile or ask to pet him. However, she said it’s important to keep in mind that he’s working – not to acknowledge him directly and to ask to pet him first – otherwise he’ll get distracted.
“Be aware of any service dog, they’re working and they’re working on maintaining focus, so talk to the person who’s attached to the dog before you talk to the dog,” Worthen said.