Meet SDV Perry

Most service dogs go home with their person. Perry is going to college. This fall, he'll walk into lecture halls, study late, and be the steady presence that helps a young woman with autism pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian. He's spent the past 20 months training for it — learning not just cues, but to anticipate. To notice when someone is overwhelmed before they do. To be the one thing that doesn't change when everything else does. He's almost ready. Help him finish.

Help Perry graduate

Perry’s Training Journey

  • 8 weeks old

    At 8 weeks old, Perry takes his first real step toward becoming a service dog — leaving his littermates behind to join his puppy raiser at home. The eight weeks before this were spent opening his eyes to the world around him: new sights, sounds, and smells, each one quietly building the foundation for everything ahead.

  • Puppy Class

    Perry's first puppy classes at SDV's facility introduce him to the basics — walking on a leash, learning where he should be positioned next to his handler. The paw pad in this photo gives him a physical target to work toward, teaching him to stay close and in position. Small cues. The start of something much bigger.

  • Taking it to the streets

    Perry takes his skills out of the facility and into the world alongside his puppy raiser. New places, new distractions, new challenges — and through all of it, Perry stays right where he's supposed to be. No paw pad needed.

  • Advanced Training Begins

    Perry leaves his puppy raiser and transitions to a nights and weekends volunteer home — a big change that mirrors the kind of change he'll eventually help his person navigate. His training advances with him. More complex cues, more difficult outings, environments that push him further than anything he's encountered before. He's ready for it.

  • Out of the classroom, into the world

    Description goes herePerry takes his advanced skills out of the facility and into the field with his trainer. The Charlottesville Downtown Mall is the kind of place that tests everything — other dogs crossing his path, birds overhead, squirrels darting by, strangers moving in every direction. Advanced training isn't just about what Perry knows. It's about what he does when everything is telling him to forget it.

  • What's next: Transfer Camp

    The moment Perry has been training for. Transfer camp brings Perry, his new person, and their trainer together for two weeks. She learns his cues, how to work with him in public, how to read him — all with their trainer alongside, teaching her everything she needs to know. Two weeks to build the partnership that will carry them both through college and beyond. Help Perry get there.

What perry will do

Her partner on Campus

College is demanding for anyone. For a student on the autism spectrum, it can be overwhelming — new environments, crowded spaces, high-stakes pressure. Perry is trained for exactly this.

  • When anxiety spikes — during exams, in crowded lecture halls, in overwhelming social situations — Perry is trained to interrupt the response before it escalates, giving her the grounding she needs to stay present.

  • During sensory overload, Perry applies deep pressure — a proven calming technique — helping her regulate and recover so she can keep going. Late night study session or first day of class, Perry is there.

  • College means meeting people — classmates, professors, study groups. For someone on the autism spectrum, starting those conversations can be the hardest part. Perry is a natural bridge. People approach him, ask about him, talk to her through him. He opens doors she might not have opened alone.

“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

-Linda, Perry’s trainer

Help Perry Graduate

Every step of Perry's journey has a cost — vet care, insurance, the training outings that prepare him for college life. Your gift helps SDV cover it. You're helping get him there.