SAULT STE. MARIE -- There will be a four legged friend heading to classes this fall at Lake Superior State University. 

Katia Locke, a junior from Brimley, Mich., is studying athletic training at LSSU.  She was matched with the dog in March by Leader Dogs for the Blind, a Rochester, Mich.-based organization that has been working with volunteers like her to train dogs for the visually-impaired.

Locke's job is to socialize and develop the pup's innate sense of discipline, a first step to its becoming a full-fledged leader dog for a visually-impaired owner.  She is currently raising "Atlas", the second guide dog she's helped for the Leader Dogs for the Blind program.

Locke first got involved with Leader Dogs during the end of her freshman year at Rudyard high school. When she wanted to get a dog of her own, Locke's mother suggested that she look into Leader Dogs' volunteer "puppy raiser" program. It was something that her mom always wanted to do when she younger but never had the opportunity to follow through upon. Puppy training also complimented Katia's plans for a college career; a puppy raiser only works with a dog for its first year.

Registering for the program is relatively straightforward. Go online to leaderdog.org and apply to be a puppy raiser by filling out a series of questionnaires that also ask for references. Acceptance into the program takes anywhere from a couple weeks to several months, depending on demand for trainers and the time needed to check references.

Each puppy raiser is assigned a puppy counselor to help them. Locke's counselor works with seven other puppy raisers in the UP. Once a month she comes up and meets with the trainer and the dog to run through some Leader Dogs training standards.

Locke's first puppy training experience went so well that she took her second leader dog trainee, Atlas, this past March. During Atlas's first year, he is taught basic commands - such as sit, come, down, and leave it - along with house-training. Locke follows a manual on how to raise Atlas. For instance, the dog is not allowed to be off its leash and can only have certain toys. In order to socialize Atlas with the public, Locke brings the dog everywhere and into all different kinds of environments. She has taken Atlas to public settings like big-box retailers, restaurants, her classes, and playgrounds.

Raising puppies for Leader Dogs fits nicely with Locke's career plans as an athletic trainer.

"Preparing a dog lets me help a person in ways that I would not normally be able to help," she says. "As an athletic trainer, I help people with injuries and the rehabilitation of those injuries. Leader Dogs help people regain function and independence in ways I wouldn't be able to provide."

After raising Zorro, her first puppy, Locke was able to go to Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester to meet the dog's new owner. Zorro now lives in Costa Rica with his visually impaired owner. Atlas will be placed in much the same way early next year.

Is it difficult to return a Leader puppy at the end of a year? "Yes, it is very hard," says Locke. "But I went into the program knowing that I would have to return the dog at the end of the year, and I am helping someone become more independent."

Locke adds that being a puppy raiser is extremely challenging at times, but it is also very rewarding. "Helping people has always been a passion of mine," she says. "I see myself doing this for as long as I can."