Bear and the POOCH Program
It is here at the UCI – RJD campus that we have a lot of activities going on that I feel you should all get to hear about from an insider. So, in this first installment it will be about the service dog training program we have. The program has been featured on the syndicated show “Tails of Valor” and has been going for almost six years now. Here on UCI – RJD campus this program has been going for five years. The program is dedicated to helping not just people in the community, but also the incarcerated canine trainers who are also receiving much needed purpose for their own lives.
Typically, a service dog candidate is brought to the campus and given to a designated trainer. That incarcerated trainer is tasked with guiding the service dog candidate through a six-month curriculum including specialized cues that are designed to assist either a client living with autism or a wounded warrior veteran with special needs.
“As I watched “Bear” grow and learn, working with him day and night, through sickness and in health, I came to love him very much and on his day of graduating I was as proud as any pup pop could be. Then learning about the impact he has had on the lives of so many people I knew that I would keep working to provide the community with this much needed service no matter how many times my heart will break and how much I will miss each of my trainees.”
– Brian Lopez
I personally have been part of this program since 2018 and have had the honor to work with some amazing candidates over the last few years. I was first given the opportunity to be on the team that produced the service dog “Orbit” – the lead trainer was able to show me the finer points and I went on to be a secondary trainer for another year. My first service dog that I personally took part in training was a dog named “Bear” who was placed with a young client living with autism. When I was able to hear about the impact that he had on the life of the client it became the most fulfilling thing I had ever done. “Bear” now has his own Instagram page and has become the featured topic of podcasts – he is quite the celebrated pup!
To be honest the job has a serious draw back though, the day eventually comes when the service dog trainee becomes a graduate, and the young pup goes to their client and it is heart wrenching to watch them go. The six-month period can lead to a very strong emotional bond, which is needed to get the trainer and service dog trainee to work together. As I watched “Bear” grow and learn, working with him day and night, through sickness and in health, I came to love him very much and on his day of graduating I was as proud as any pup pop could be. Then learning about the impact he has had on the lives of so many people I knew that I would keep working to provide the community with this much needed service no matter how many times my heart will break and how much I will miss each of my trainees.
This is just one of the amazing programs we are doing here at the UCI – RJD campus and I will feature more in the future.
Brian Lopez
UC Irvine Lifted Student
Cohort I ’22-’24