This pup has paws in Carolina and Duke

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On the court and on the screen, in academic journals and in conversations of all kinds, the relentless rivalry and powerful partnership between Carolina and Duke is well-documented. But it’s taking on a new form this spring — with four furry paws and a wagging tail.

For the first time, a service dog from Duke’s Puppy Kindergarten program is being trained in Chapel Hill by a Carolina student.

“I know that the rivalry runs deep, but in the puppy kindergarten, everybody is so welcoming and kind and encouraging,” said Alea Marks, a junior at Carolina who’s training Olive, a six-month-old with light yellow fur who’s half Golden Retriever and half Labrador Retriever.

Carolina Junior Alea Marks and Olive, a six-month-old Golden Retriever-Labrador Retriever mix she’s training to be a service dog. (Rob Holliday/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Much like her human counterparts in the Robertson Scholars Program, Olive spends time learning at both Duke and Carolina, but is primarily in Chapel Hill working with Marks, who has trained five other service dogs over the years back home in California.

“A big part of my responsibility is to socialize Olive and teach her basic commands,” Marks said. “I try and walk her through campus almost every day so she can interact with students and get experiences with all the new sights and sounds.”

Most of those interactions happen among fellow Tar Heels, but every Wednesday, Marks and Olive make the trip to Durham for additional training at Puppy Kindergarten. They join Willow, Cypress, Douglas and Aspen — Olive’s siblings from the same litter of puppies — who are being trained by Duke students and a Duke alumna. Each session includes time for the dogs to play together, lessons for both the trainers and pups and a walk through the Duke campus to give the dogs more time to interact with humans and the real world.

“A big part of my responsibility is to socialize Olive and teach her basic commands,” Marks said. “I try and walk her through campus almost every day so she can interact with students and get experiences with all the new sights and sounds.” (Rob Holliday/UNC-Chapel Hill)

“The key with a dog this young is to keep training sessions short and sweet,” Marks said. “It still is a huge time commitment. I think the reason that I love it so much is because the constant companionship brings me so much joy.”

But the greatest reward comes at the end of the training process. Marks and Olive will train together until the end of this semester, then Olive will continue her service training program through Eyes, Ears, Nose and Paws, a Hillsborough-based nonprofit that partners with Duke Puppy Kindergarten to train medical alert and mobility assistance dogs. Knowing that Olive could one day provide lifechanging assistance to someone in need helps Marks work through the emotions that will come when she and Olive conclude their portion of the training journey.

“I’m not alone in this,” Marks said. “There are so many people who are helping and supporting and contributing to Olive’s success as a service dog.”

Olive will be evaluated throughout her training process, which usually lasts about two years, and placed in a service role based on the certifications she’s earned.

Marks and Olive interact with Carolina students near The Pit on campus. (Rob Holliday/UNC-Chapel Hill)

“It’s always worth it to see the payoff of once they’re matched with their handler, and to see how grateful their handler is to have this dog that’s helping them regain their independence and get their lives back,” Marks said.

Even with all their Duke connections and love and appreciation for Duke Puppy Kindergarten, Marks and Olive have continued to prefer Carolina Blue. Olive’s mother is due to welcome a new litter of puppies this summer, and Marks hopes to have one of them to join her in Chapel Hill next fall.