Meet the Raiser – Elsa Grant

Name: Elsa Grant
Occupation: Student
Current Pup: Harvey

How long have you been a Puppy Raiser and how many dogs have you raised? (Include furloughed dogs and the one you are currently raising).

Harvey is the first NEADS dog I have raised, but I participated a bit in the raising of two other dogs.

What led you to Puppy Raising?

I became interested in puppy raising when I saw a poster about NEADS. The idea pretty much immediately sparked my interest because I have always loved dogs but had been too young to take part in any training. When I researched more, I found out about all the happiness and help that service dogs bring in people’s lives, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that family.

Ice Breakers

If you could choose any two famous people to have dinner with who would they be?

Hajime Isayama and Declan McKenna

If you were a dog, what breed do you think you would be?

I would be a Shiba Inu

Would you rather explore outer space or the bottom of the ocean?

To be honest, neither because I am afraid of both, but if I had to choose then outer space.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor and ice cream topping?

Cookies and cream ice cream and rainbow sprinkles.

What would your superpower be and why?

I would love to have the ability to read minds because I think that would be the most beneficial, but I also would need the ability to not read minds when I don’t want to.

Tell us your favorite part about being a Puppy Raiser and/or your favorite memory with one of the NEADS pups.

Being a puppy raiser has probably been the most interesting, exciting, and overall good experience of my life. Although Harvey has caused me trouble some times, for the most part, he has kept me and my family together during the pandemic. He always brings smiles into our house. Furthermore, the training process has taught me a lot about dogs and learning in general. I am taking a psychology class this year, and I have been able to apply a lot of Harvey’s learning to what we have learned in class. I love to learn about new things, and learning about dogs has prompted me to be a better dog owner in the future. One of my best memories was teaching Harvey speak. We were in a virtual training session with Rea, my mom, and I, and we were all cracking up at the process of teaching “speak”. It was funny at the time, but it worked, and now Harvey is great at it. Harvey’s training has always been fun and interesting for everyone involved.

Read the entire Meet that Raiser series here.

MTR-ELsa