SMU has so many organizations on campus. This week we sat down with rising junior Elise Lagrone to talk about the new club she is bringing to SMU, Pups for Ponies.
HCSMU: What’s your year/major at SMU?
Elise Lagrone: I am a second-year English major on the pre-med track.
HCSMU: What other clubs and organizations are you a part of?
EL: Mustang EMS, SMUNICEF, Alpha Chi Omega, Hip Hop Club, SMU Honors Research Association, Mustang Heroes, LINK and Religious Studies Club.
HCSMU: What is the concept behind Pups for Ponies?
EL: It is a collegiate puppy raising club for Canine Companions for Independence, a 501 (c) (3) organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs free of charge to people with disabilities. There are over 30 clubs nationwide, but we will be the first school that chartered one in Texas! To get highly-trained service dogs, you need puppy raisers to raise the dog from an 8-week-old puppy to the age at which they are returned to the regional center for advanced training at approximately 15-18 months of age. That is where we come in! We teach the dogs 30 basic commands in addition to extensive socialization.
HCSMU: How did you hear about Canine Companions for Interdependence?
EL: I first heard about Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) while touring colleges before deciding to attend SMU. While touring Tulane University, I met a puppy raiser who worked the front desk at the equivalent of HTSC. He mentioned that his hallway raised the dog through a club they had on campus that worked with CCI. While I fell in love with SMU and decided to attend it instead, it always stayed in the back of my mind.
HCSMU: What inspired you to start this organization at SMU?
EL: One of my childhood friends attended Tulane and became friends with a puppy raiser for CCI; she is raising a little black lab puppy named Rey. Rey has her own Instagram page and was so cute in her tiny CCI vest! After researching, it turned out that Canine Companions for Independence had a regional center about 20 minutes away in Irving, TX. I went to an open house and the rest is history.
HCSMU: What events do you have planned to gather support and awareness for Pups for Puppies?
EL: We have already had a few events this spring including attending a fund-raiser at Cane Rosso on White Rock Lake and serving a training lunch for soon-to-be graduates at the regional center. This fall we will have a team for the DFW DogFest Walk ‘N Roll in September, a tent at boulevards, as well as welcoming new puppy raisers and potential members.
HCSMU: When do you hope to bring this club onto campus officially?
EL: I am hopeful for a temporary charter through SMU Student Senate in the fall of 2017.