Everywhere you look, dogs clad in red vests are wandering campus with their human companions. Upon approaching these dogs, you’ll see their vests read “4 Paws for Ability.”
4 Paws for Ability is an organization that breeds and trains these dogs to be service animals. Most often, these animals will be placed with a family that has a child with a disability. Some of these dogs have even been placed with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The type of service these dogs will become depends entirely on the demand. They can be seeing eye dogs, seizure alert dogs, or even emotional support animals.
4 Paws is connected with many campuses throughout Ohio, depending on students to foster and socialize the animals. Each campus is given a certain number of dogs and the organization on campus divides the dogs within a team of volunteers. Each team is made up of three or four members – a foster and the co-handlers. The foster team member provides the dog with a place to stay throughout the semester while the co-handlers take shifts, taking the dog out – either on or off campus.
“The main goal for the students is to socialize the dog,” Natalie McDonald, a Senior English major and 4 Paws volunteer, tells The Guardian. “When they come to campus, they are timid and we need to expose them to people.”
McDonald has been volunteering with the organization since her second semester of Freshman year. Having been a co-handler for two dogs, Spike and Kirby, McDonald shares her experiences.
On a typical day, McDonald will pick up Kirby, her current dog, from the foster and head to campus with him. On campus, she’ll often be stopped by others who are curious and want to pet Kirby. She also must make sure to keep him fed and watered, as well as taking breaks to go to the bathroom. (Don’t worry, 4 Paws volunteers pick up after the dogs!) The co-handlers and fosters even take the dogs off campus – to places like the mall or even the movies. In the future, these dogs may come to these places with their owners, so they need to practice being in crowded places.
Occasionally, the team will work together to train the dog in basic commands such as sit and stay. However, the campus volunteers don’t deal with the specific service training. 
“Once we’re done with them on campus, we send them back to 4 Paws,” McDonald explains. “There, they move on to advanced training.” 4 Paws relies on campus volunteers to socialize the dogs, so that they can focus on training the generation before for their future service.
“Not all dogs end up going on to be service dogs,” McDonald went on to explain. Some dogs may fail the service training and go through a “career change.” The dogs that don’t move on to become service animals are put up for adoption or even become breeders for future service dogs. At this point, the campus volunteers usually don’t know the fate of their dogs. They may get a mention from 4 Paws about the dog being put up for adoption or being placed with a family, but sometimes they are left in the dark. 
“It’s hard letting them go at the end of the semester,” McDonald admits. “But, in the end, the feeling and knowledge of the dog going on to do bigger and better things, even helping save someone’s life, is enough for me.”
McDonald recommends that if someone wants to make a difference, they should consider volunteering with 4 Paws. Visit 4pawsforability.org, the 4 Paws Facebook page or OrgSync for more information about working with 4 Paws next semester. Of course, you can always approach a volunteer for 4 Paws as well. Look out for one of those red, 4 Paws vests and take the time to talk with the volunteer as you play with the dog. However, always ask if you can pet the dog and don’t just assume you can. Not every dog on campus belongs to 4 Paws and you don’t want to distract a working dog.
