4 Paws for a Cause

Mar 8, 2019

Members of new student club foster service dogs-in-training

By Molly Duffey, Class of 2022

During her sophomore year, Shelby Trimm visited a friend who was fostering a service dog through her university's 4 Paws for Ability club on campus. It made her miss her own dog back home, so Shelby thought it would be a great idea to bring a 4 Paws club to Xavier.

She contacted the 4 Paws organization, met with Xavier’s Office of Student Involvement and got permission to start a 4 Paws for Ability club on campus. Shelby, now a senior, is the president.

Shelby’s first dog was already a year and a half old when she got him. She kept him for only four months. Then Beacon arrived. He was only four months old. Now Shelby’s long-haired, black and tan companion, who turned 1 in January, can always be found by her side wherever she goes on campus—classrooms, library, even the Gallagher Student Center.

She almost didn’t get him.

“I was originally trying to get Beacon’s brother, Pippin, but he was on an outing,” she says. “Instead, I was given Beacon for a trip to the mall, then for the weekend. Finally, I just decided I loved his Eeyore-face enough that I needed to foster him. Slowly, we began to bond and build each others’ confidences, and we have both grown immensely in the last seven months."

Beacon, along with Jollipop, is one of two dogs sponsored through 4 Paws that are in training now at Xavier, though there are other dogs from other organizations on campus as well. But 4 Paws’ partnerships with college students is unique. Founded in 1998, the non-profit organization in Xenia, Ohio, is dedicated to training service dogs specifically for children and veterans, who are sometimes hard to find dogs for. The organization is connected with more than 20 universities whose students help to train their dogs, including 14 in the Cincinnati area in addition to Xavier.

4 Paws trains dogs to assist people with a variety of conditions including autism, seizures, deficient hearing and diabetes. The dogs are paired with college students who do the training—the campus provides a perfect setting for dogs to learn how to behave socially. Shelby stresses the importance of bringing the dogs everywhere and making sure they are accustomed to different sounds and distractions.

“The main rule with sitters and fosters in general is socialization,” she says. “They can't be afraid of a slamming door, screaming children, etc. when they are with their person. He is in training, he needs to know that under no circumstance can he leave his person.”

Students choose the amount of time to foster a dog. Some choose a semester, while others keep their dogs for the entire training process, normally about 14 months—from age four months to a year and a half.

Club members take on varying responsibilities—fostering or babysitting a dog, attending meetings or spreading education about the dogs. For example, when it’s not possible for her to bring Beacon with her, Shelby relies on other club numbers and babysitters to care for Beacon.

“Babysitters are really essential to the success of the program. If I have a big exam or am going home for the weekend and can’t bring Beacon, I can give him to a certified babysitter so that way he isn't cooped up in the kennel not learning anything,” she says. 

Foster parents must follow guidelines from both Xavier and 4 Paws. To qualify, applicants must have an acceptable living area. Dogs in training are not allowed in the dorms, University Station, the Village apartments or the cafeteria, but they are allowed in most other buildings on campus. 

Students applying to 4 Paws must submit photos to ensure the dogs will have appropriate living conditions. Once accepted, students attend a two-hour information session at the Xenia headquarters before taking their dogs home. Once a month, students bring their dogs back to Xenia for checkups, food supplies and baths.

Students also participate in fundraisers to support the 4 Paws program. The most popular fundraiser is when litters of puppies are brought to campus. Students pay $1 to hold them for five minutes. In February, 4 Paws sponsored a puppy kissing booth on the first floor of the Gallagher Student Center with three puppies. Students paid $2 for a photo with the pups. 

“There's nothing more pure and enjoyable than being able to hold a little ball of fluff in your hands,” Shelby says. “It’s a great experience for students and very beneficial to the puppies as well.”

The club, which has 45 members, meets once a week to discuss the dogs and their training. Students learn where the dogs should be in the training process and how to educate other students about how to interact with the dogs. The club is always looking for new members who love dogs, but who are also okay saying goodbye to their furry friends. Like Beacon.

“People always ask what it's like giving the dogs away,” explains Shelby. “My response is, yes it sucks, but it's a higher purpose than my own.”