Caitlyn Landry ’20 and Kaitlin Kohut ’20, freshman roommates, formed the Puppy Raisers Club at URI last year, becoming certified through the nonprofit Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Four yellow Labrador retrievers spend all day every day training with the students and the growing numbers of their club.

After about 18 months they will complete a test that determines their future careers: Some will become guide dogs, others will work with police to be drug detectors or serve in a “healing autism” program.

“It’s not going to be easy to give up the dogs,” says Kohut, “but you know they have a bigger purpose in life.”