The Journey of Raising Acacia with Sophie Dekkers

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Meet Sophie Dekkers. She is a Southeast Technical College student and voluntary puppy raiser. She has welcomed Acacia, a 4-month-old yellow lab, into her family home. This four-legged, furry friend came from Freedom Service Dogs (FSD) located in Englewood, Colo. FDS trains and provides service dogs for children and teens with autism and other neurocognitive disabilities, mobility issues, as well as veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

 

Sophie is enrolled in the Veterinary Technician program at STC, so this new adventure is just her sort of thing. Acacia will be learning and growing alongside Sophie for the next 10 months while joining her in all her day-to-day activities - including college and work.

 

After 10 months, Acacia will return to FSD where she will be evaluated and hopefully enter formal dog training. The goal is for her to do well, graduate and then be placed with an individual who will benefit from her service.

 

So many people have said, “Oh, I could never give her back after 10 months,” but Sophie has the right idea going into this. She’s using her talents to help someone with a need greater than her own.

 

We had the opportunity to sit down with Sophie and learn more.

 

While I attended high school, I worked as a kennel attendant at a local veterinary office and was able to observe the care and treatments being administered. My passion for animals and this first-hand experience sparked my interest to look into Southeast Tech. The location and price

that STC has to offer helped make my decision to apply for the program.

 

Being a part of the Veterinary Technician program has allowed me to meet the animals that are often in rescue and build relationships with my classmates. Unfortunately, this year I haven’t been able to attend a lot of events on campus, but I am hoping to participate and become more

involved next year.

 

My younger brother, who is in a wheelchair, participates in adaptive sports and some of his teammates have service dogs. I have always been interested in helping others and as I watched my brother’s teammates with their service dogs, my interest grew. As an Assistant Trainer in

the Puppy University program at Paws Pet Resort, I wanted to expand and use my talents in a greater way to continue to serve others. As I began looking into organizations around here, I quickly learned that there weren’t many opportunities to work with service dogs in our area

until I discovered Freedom Service Dogs.

 

After reading more about the organization, I fell in love with their mission and purpose. Not all dogs are meant to be a service dog, but at FSD, all dogs have a purpose and will get a second chance to find their calling in life. They refer to it as “A Puppy with a Purpose.” The dogs that aren’t meant to serve become a career-change dog, and will occasionally be a good fit for other organizations, such as Search and Rescue. Other dogs are adopted and will become a family pet.

 

Depending on the day and my schedule, she will come with me to work and train with the other puppies that are enrolled in the Puppy University program. I also take her to stores and various outings to help her become familiar with different settings. Daily walks are also part of our routine. When she is unable to join me for the day, she stays with my mom who works from home. Next year, I am hoping to bring Acacia to my lecture classes.

 

The biggest challenge is that she is so young. People and smells are easily distracting for her when I am trying to train her. I have learned that the environment at Hy-Vee is too much for her as she loses focus on me and her training. I work hard to plan for circumstances that may

occur during training, but also in a way that will still advance her.

 

As a young puppy, she can be very silly and playful! However, when her lip gets stuck on her teeth when playing with a toy is probably my favorite. I plan to share more videos and photos of her personality, training and puppy experiences on our Instagram page.

 

Having been on this adventure for only a few short months, I can say that raising Acacia has been truly amazing. To think about the impact she will have on someone else’s life one day and being a part of that journey is incredible. After I graduate and do clinicals, I can see myself

volunteering to raise another service dog.

 

In the future, I can see myself having a lot of different names and breeds one day. My family currently has two Golden Retrievers that I take on adventures, teach them tricks and treat them as if they were my own.

 

My passion for people, animals and dog training aligns together very well. I could see myself working at a dog training school or a service dog organization. There are so many opportunities and paths that I can take with my degree, knowledge and training experience.

 

If you enjoy furry friends and extremely adorable photos filling your feed, follow Sophie and Acacia as they begin their journey together @raising.acacia.

 

 

Do you love caring for animals? Become a Veterinary Technician and launch your career in just two years at Southeast Tech.