Dr. Nancy Welborn advises LSU’s STEP Club training puppies for a life of service

By Natalie Kaiser

If you’ve seen students strolling LSU’s campus with puppies in yellow and blue vests emblazoned with “future service dog,” then you’ve seen LSU’s Service Dog Training Education Program (STEP) Club at work. Through the national organization Canine Companions, STEP engages students who do hands-on puppy-raising, preparing them for further training as service dogs for adults or children with conditions like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, deafness, and more. The dogs also get trained to work as service dogs for veterans and professionals in healthcare, criminal justice, and educational settings. The non-profit, Canine Companions, has placed thousands of assistance dogs at no charge to recipients nationwide.

Nancy Welborn, DVM (LSU 1990), associate professor of community practice at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, serves as the STEP Club advisor. “Since I am a veterinarian, I can also discuss any medical issues the pups may have and ensure good nutrition,” she said.

Ariana Tashakkori, co-founder and president of STEP, always wanted to raise a future service dog while in college, but LSU lacked a program to do so. So, she connected with interested students and, they formed the STEP Club in early 2023. 

“My favorite part about STEP is the potential for our trained puppies to change lives,” Tashakkori said. 

The puppy-raising process typically begins with Canine Companions providing individual students with an eight-week-old, golden retriever or Labrador puppy who lives with the student for about a year and a half. The student begins by teaching simple commands, eventually working up to 30 commands. The puppy accompanies the student to all of their activities, including classes and extracurricular activities, to familiarize the dogs with public environments.

After puppies are raised and socialized, they are returned to Canine Companions, where they undergo additional training for six to nine months. Once their training is complete, Canine Companions places the dog with an individual in need of service. So far, LSU’S STEP club has raised three future service dogs and is in the process of raising two more, Tai and Tonic, who are set to head off for professional training in November. 

The club, along with help from Canine Companions, provides supplies and covers the cost of veterinary care. “We have provided veterinary care to the puppies the club has received so far. Hills provides dog food for them,” Welborn said.

STEP is more than just puppy-raising. “Outside of our official general body meetings, we hold social events for members to engage with the dogs, volunteer events, puppy classes, and more,” Tashakkori said. Leaders also hold monthly meetings with featured speakers from different backgrounds to educate members in the world of working dogs and service animals. Members who don’t participate in raising puppies can opt to puppy-sit for other club members.

“My hope for the club is multifocal” Welborn said. “First, to expose people to the process of training working dogs. Second, to give people who have not been around dogs the opportunity to learn about dogs, in general, and then become informed about what working dogs do. Third, to give students opportunities for social engagement with dogs.”

The STEP Club is open to all LSU students, regardless of major or background. “We welcome everyone into our community of advocates,” Tashakkori said. If you're interested in joining STEP, contact Ariana Tashakkori at atasha1@lsu.edu.