Assistance dogs arrive at UWRF for semester of student training, campus life

 

Assistance dogs arrive at UW-River Falls for semester of student training, campus life

Ten Can Do Canines dogs will live and learn alongside 22 UWRF students through Falcon FETCH program

Sept. 24, 2026 — Ten assistance dogs in training arrived at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Monday, beginning a semester where they will live in residence halls, attend classes and experience college life alongside UWRF students.

The yellow Labrador retrievers, ranging in age from 15 to 24 months, are part of the Falcon FETCH (Fostering Education Through Campus Hosting) program, a partnership between UWRF and Can Do Canines that gives students hands-on experience helping raise and train future assistance dogs. Twenty-two UWRF students are participating in the program this semester. 

The dogs moved into Stratton Hall after students gathered Monday afternoon for an information session led by Lindsay Le Kinney, a Can Do Canines puppy program instructor. Over nearly an entire semester, the dogs will live with their student handlers and accompany them to classes and other activities, exposing the dogs to the varied environments and experiences of daily college life. Stratton Hall has an off-leash area in the basement for dogs in the program.

Le Kinney said while many assistance dogs are trained by volunteer retirees living in suburban communities, dogs trained on a college campus get a different experience. 

“Dogs in the FETCH program experience a diverse community and shared-wall living,” Le Kinney said. "We can normalize many experiences the dogs don't have in their other host homes, like sounds of people walking through hallways at all hours, students on the next floor yelling about their video game or someone playing loud music. They get exposure to sights, sounds and smells that are typical of apartment living. Many of our dogs are placed with clients who live in apartments, and some are even placed with college students! So living on campus sets these dogs up for success.”   

Abbey Butler, assistant professor of companion animal science, oversees the Falcon FETCH program at UWRF.  

“This day is something students who are participating in FETCH for the first time have been anticipating since last March,” Butler said. “The FETCH program does so much more than allow students to train future service dogs. The students learn how to read a dog’s body language and make split second decisions to manage their dog’s response. They become increasingly aware of how their own nonverbal communication influences a dog's behavior. They discover their own limits and strengths and those of their dog, gain patience and learn consistency and trust. Most importantly, they play a meaningful role in preparing a dog that may one day transform the life of the person who receives it.”

Students participating in FETCH receive ongoing instruction throughout the semester. A Can Do Canines staff member visits campus every two weeks to conduct training classes and the UWRF program includes courses focused on service dog training with curriculum aligned with professional dog training certification. Although many of the student handlers are animal science majors, participation is not limited to students in that major.

Kaitlyn Wanke of Jackson, a senior majoring in animal science with a management/companion animal emphasis, is among the students participating in FETCH this fall. This is her third year in the program.

“Welcoming the dogs to campus is always such a fun and exciting time,” Wanke said. “I love seeing all the new dogs come in and getting to see how different each of their personalities are. Even though I've hosted four dogs before and have experienced so many different personalities, every new dog is a completely new experience. It's exciting to realize that I'm about to build another relationship with a new dog and help them grow and learn throughout their time here.”

The program offers students a unique opportunity to apply what they are learning while taking responsibility for a dog’s development throughout the semester. 

“I chose to participate in Falcon FETCH because I wanted to learn more about the different aspects of training an assistance dog and gain hands-on experience that I couldn't get from a classroom alone,” Wanke said. “More than anything, I wanted to be part of something that could eventually help provide someone with a dog that could change their life. Knowing that the work we put in with these dogs could eventually help give someone more independence and support is really meaningful to me.”

Can Do Canines, founded in 1989, trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities and provides fully trained dogs to clients free of charge. It has provided more than 1,000 assistance dogs since its founding. The program first partnered with UWRF in fall 2023.

“FETCH students are incredibly dedicated to their dogs and have an academic appreciation for training theory we don't see in the average volunteer,” Le Kinney said. “FETCH students are fantastic raisers and great at problem solving with support from Can Do Canines staff and UWRF faculty. Our dogs grow so much throughout the semester. Can Do Canines and our clients are so grateful for the love and care the students pour into the dogs each year.” 

Photo: UW-River Falls students walk newly-arrived assistance dogs in training into Stratton Hall Monday. Ten dogs will spend the semester on campus living and learning with 22 students as part of the Falcon FETCH program, a collaboration with Can Do Canines.