Puppy treats, leashes, chew toys … not your typical school supplies. But for John Molina, they're necessities when he comes to class at McLennan Community College and brings Jakki, the 3-month-old black Labrador puppy he's training to be a guide dog for the blind.

As a Puppy Raiser through Southeastern Guide Dog International, Molina is tasked with socializing Jakki and exposing her to daily routines. That includes taking her to classes and extracurricular activities at MCC, where Molina is a sophomore studying geology.

Because pets aren't allowed on campus, Molina received special permission to bring Jakki to school with him.

"It speaks volumes about the school that they can see the merit in this program," he said. "The fact that they're allowing me to do this says a lot about the administration's commitment to its students."

Molina also got approval from each of his instructors to bring Jakki to class, as long as she's not a distraction to the students' learning.

"They've gotten so used to her being there, that if I don't bring her, everyone asks where she is," he said.

Then again, sometimes they ask where she is even when she's there because she goes unnoticed—which is exactly the goal when training guide dogs, Molina said.

"It's been an overwhelmingly positive experience so far—everyone is really encouraging. Almost everyone wants to meet her and will let me talk about her."

Molina is careful to explain that Jakki is a service dog, not a pet. She's rarely off her leash, even at home, because she's almost always "working."

Molina and his family—his wife, Keri, and kids, Kristyn, 12, and Isaac, 9—will train Jakki until she's about 14 months old. Then she'll return to Southeastern Guide Dog International in Florida for further training and to eventually be placed with a blind owner.

The Molinas had two reasons for becoming guide dog trainers: The first is to instill a sense of giving back in their children; the second is because Molina lost his vision in both eyes after being injured during a military tour of duty in 2000.

"I was lucky because they were able to restore my vision after about nine months," he said. "So when we were looking for some way to give back, we wanted to help someone who's disabled and improve their quality of life—this was the perfect opportunity."

The entire family is trained to work with Jakki to teach her the skills she'll need to succeed as a guide dog. In fact, even before they were approved to receive a dog, they had to attend training meetings twice a month for four months and have home visits from an area coordinator for the guide dog school to make sure the animal would be in an appropriate environment.

Now that Jakki is "home," the Molinas take her everywhere they go—to school, work, the movies, the grocery store—to get her used to everyday activities and teach her essential commands. As she gets older, she'll learn new commands until it's time to return to Florida.

"It's going to be tough to give her up, but to know she's going to give someone mobility and independence is well worth it."