By Victoria Cruz
News Writer
On April 21, Guiding Eyes Puppy Raising hosted the Pack Walk to help students, raisers and the dogs de-stress before finals season.
The sunset walk stretched 1.5 miles around the university campus with seven dogs that are currently being trained by students.
“It really is that time of year where people need to just take a second to themselves, even when they don’t think they need it. So, getting some fresh air and seeing some dogs and saying hi is always a good thing,” English major Ella Bernegger, a senior, said.
As president and founder, Bernegger introduced the program to the university community as a way to honor her own connection to the program.
Her mother was a narcotics handler whose canine partner was a release from Guiding Eyes. In just two years, the program has expanded from one dog to seven.
“When you start a program like this, you have no idea what’s going to happen and if people are actually going to take to it or not. But, I mean, the numbers don’t lie,” Bernegger said.
The event highlighted how community-oriented the Guiding Eyes program is. Chemistry major Monserrat Martinez-Garcia, a senior and puppy raiser, is one of many students who have had the opportunity to contribute to the program.
“It really is a nice program. It has lots of benefits for you. For me, it makes me feel great that I at least am doing something that will benefit someone in the future,” Martinez-Garcia said.
The community surrounding Guiding Eyes is one both students and raisers benefit from.
“It’s like I gained a whole community in and outside of the school. You’re never alone when it comes to this program. There’s always someone or even something that’s going on that maybe someone else has experienced it too,” Martinez-Garcia said.
Martinez-Garcia highlighted that the event and the various other programming hosted by the organization aims to not only connect the community but also raise awareness.
“It’s important to give people an understanding of what this program is and make it more approachable because not a lot of people know about this program,” Martinez-Garcia said.
The event brought people together to celebrate the success of the program.
“It’s just incredible to see this many people get involved and to watch them grow as raisers and as young adults,” Bernegger said.
Bernegger encourages any students who may be interested in the program to reach out and learn more about what opportunities may be available to them.
“If anyone’s interested, the doors don’t close after day one. We’re always looking to talk to new people,” Bernegger said.
Guiding Eyes will finish out the year with two events. On Monday, May 5, they will host Paws and Paints Night in Adanti Student Center Room 217 as a creative way to interact with dogs and raisers.
Students can also attend an ice cream social on May 6 in the Academic Quad to finish the year in celebration.
