Dog House Finds Furry Friends

The Dickinson Dog house is now home to eight new puppies known as the “Shades of Green” litter.

The Dickinson Dog house is now home to eight new puppies known as the “Shades of Green” litter.

The Dickinson College Dog House, which typically is home to one or two dogs, is now home to eight dogs. There are six newborn puppies that will be living on campus until around finals time.

“They’re two weeks old… still too young to be cuddled by the students,” says Anika Yetsko ’17, the Dog House Director of Community Outreach, of the puppies from Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD).

The Dog House had been interested in birthing and raising puppies for a while, Yetsko says, but it did not become a reality until it was confirmed that SSD Berlin, an adult dog was pregnant. SSD Berlin then came to live at the Dog House for a while, until she went back to SSD to give birth over fall pause.

SSD names their litters around different themes, and SSD Berlin’s puppies have been dubbed the Shades of Green litter. The females are Jade, Olive, Ivy and Sage, and the males are Hunter and Forest. They are all yellow Labs and are distinguished by different colored collars because they are still too small and young to be easily distinguished, Yetsko explained.

To SSD Hopper, the only dog living in the house last spring and earlier this semester, all of this new activity is intriguing. Yetsko has been told by members of the Dog House who currently live there that Hopper likes to sit and watch the puppies, fascinated by them.

“I’m so excited to watch the puppies grow,” says Ashley Carroll ’17.

Yetsko explained that the Dog House was founded in 2012 by Lauren Holtz ’15 and Carley Zarzeka ’15 with the help of the Idea Fund. Their first dog, named Dino, was from the North Star Foundation, and was placed with an autistic child. Then they got two more puppies from North Star, Loki and Regis, who both also ended up in homes with autistic children.

The Dog House then partnered with SSD and got SSD Hopper last spring. Hopper spent the summer with the Dog House’s secretary/treasurer Madison Etchberger ’17 and then came back this fall to continue her training.

The Dog House already has its next resident puppy lined up – SSD Rico.

Since the puppies will be too young for the remainder of the semester, there will not be an opportunity for an open house to visit them.

For more information on the Dickinson College Dog House, you can like their Facebook page or email them at [email protected]. For more information on Susquehanna Service Dogs, you can visit www.keystonehumanservices.org/ssd/ or
http://susquehannaservicedogs.blogspot.com/.