- Payson High students train service dogs with Guide Dogs of America partnership.
- Students care for dogs, teaching them service skills in various environments.
- Program highlights responsibility, sacrifice and prepares dogs for vital roles in society.
SALT LAKE CITY — A group of students at Payson High School is making a difference outside the classroom by helping train service dogs for people in need.
On July 1, 2025, Payson High School teamed up with Guide Dogs of America and Tender Loving Canines, a service dog school in Sylmar, California, to raise puppies that will later go on and become service and guide dogs.
The labradors are being raised from 8 weeks to 15 months old.
"These students have been amazing with our puppies in training," Abigail Gertson-Garcia told KSL. "This is a completely volunteer position and takes every minute of your day; it is not your typical volunteer project."
As "puppy raisers," the class is tasked full-time with covering day-to-day care and behavior training, such as food, grooming, flea and tick preventatives, and a task not to leave the puppy alone for extended periods of time.
"These students also attend monthly training meetings to learn how to teach these dogs the foundations of service dog work," Gertson-Garcia said. "Most of the students have the dogs attend high school with them daily and then also take them along to work, sports events, theaters, restaurants, etc."
Among the class are Hannah Abbott and Madison Langston.
"I really wanted to do it. However, I'm like, 'I can't take a puppy from California,'" Abbott said. "So when the high school announced they have a class, I'm like, 'I'm signing up.'"
Langston thought it would be fun. She added that the experience has taught her responsibility and sacrifice while preparing dogs for important roles.
"I think that knowing that it's going towards something good, I think that's the biggest thing," she said.
The dogs are trained to assist people who are blind or visually impaired, support veterans living with PTSD, help children with autism, or be placed as facility dogs in places like hospitals or court systems.
Langston said being part of the program requires commitment.
"You definitely have to give up, like, going and hanging out with your friends at different places unless you bring your dog with you," Langston said. "I do wrestling, and I bring him to my practices."
"It's been a lot of self-sacrifice," Abbott added. "Hours of sleep. Hours of, 'I can't be doing something I want.'"
Despite the challenges, she said the impact the dogs will have on others makes it worthwhile.
Program leaders said Payson High is one of only a handful of high schools in the country participating in the training program, covering 11 out of the 25 puppies being raised across the United States. Aside from Payson High, only three of the other volunteers are high school students.
"It can be hard to find people that want to do this," Gertson-Garcia said. "That are open to taking in a baby puppy to their lives and loving it and caring for it and coming to trainings and giving up time. And then when it's just perfect, we take it back. And you have to say bye."
But Langston and Abbott are okay with that.
"I'm really excited to see who he gets placed with because I know that I have a skill set that will help him learn," Abbot said. "And if I've already been this excited having a dog that I really don't need as someone else, I'm excited to see what that will look like for them."
They plan for the dogs to return to California this coming June.
Tender Loving Canines said it is always looking for more volunteers interested in helping raise and train future service dogs.
Gertson-Garcia told KSL that it's important for these dogs to be raised by all sorts of people, who "go to school, that go to work, that stay home, that go hiking, go to the store, play with little kids, avoid having just one mold."
More information about the program can be found on the organization's website.
