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After a year of training and socialization, the time had come for “Luka,” a black Labrador Retriever, to go “off to college.” Puppy raisers Holly Sjogren and her husband, Bob, brought Luka to the Guide Dogs of America headquarters for his formal training turn-in, also known as “puppy college.” In his next phase, he’d learn the skills to become a supportive companion to someone with visual impairment.
They walked Luka down to the kennel and said their goodbyes. “It is very emotional,” Sjogren says. “And you just wonder, are they going to be OK? Are they going to make it?”
But despite his stellar foundational training, Luka couldn’t get used to wearing a guide dog harness — and after three months, he was released from the program and officially joined the Sjogren family. “I thought, OK, here’s my next agility dog,” Sjogren says.
From guide dog prospect to agility champion, Luka (PACH Sjogren’s Luka RI MXP4 MXPB MJP4 MJPB PAX OFP) will compete at the 2026 AKC National Agility Championship on March 19–22, 2026 in Temecula, California. Sjogren is also running her Golden Retriever, “Gus” (MACH Groovy Gus RI MXB MJB MXF T2B2 THD CGC TKI), another guide dog trainee whose career changed course.
Bringing Her Love of Dogs to the Classroom
Sjogren has been involved in dog sports for more than 30 years, and she’s taught elementary school for even longer. In her fifth-grade class at Hope View Elementary School, Sjogren’s students delight in seeing ribbons and videos from a weekend trial. She’s a founding member of DASH, an agility club in Huntington Beach, California, and several of her students help set jumps and run leashes at their events.
Sjogren frequently invites puppy raisers from Guide Dogs of America to speak at school assemblies, and Hope View students have fundraised over the years to support the organization. She had long considered volunteering as a puppy raiser herself, but was hesitant — with two teenage daughters, other dogs at home, and a full-time job, she wasn’t sure if she could handle the commitment.
From Guide Dog Prospect to Teacher’s Pet
In 2017, she took the leap. 3-month-old Luka was placed with the Sjogren family as their first guide dog in training. With the Ocean View School District’s enthusiastic support, Sjogren brought Luka to school every day, where he observed the sights and sounds of her classroom.
Though Luka wouldn’t go on to become a guide dog, the Sjogrens were thrilled to have him back. Luka took no time adjusting to life as a family pet — when he returned home, he went straight for his favorite red ball that he had left before turn-in. She remembers thinking, “OK, here you are. You’re supposed to be here.”
Sjogren has always been active with her dogs, so agility was a natural next step for the team. But Luka had some old habits to break from his guide dog training — running on her right side and working at a distance took some practice.
“He’s not the fastest guy out there, but he just has so much fun. He’s always smiling, and he’s just happy to do it,” Sjogren says. “He’s a career-change dog that was supposed to be a guide dog for someone, and now he’s just living his best life.”
Another Dog Meant for a Different Path
Sjogren’s Golden Retriever, Gus, brings the same joy on his runs, but with speed and stamina: “He’s an Energizer bunny,” she says. Gus, too, was released from the guide dog program before starting formal training because he didn’t pass his eye exam. Sjogren had brought Gus to agility trials as a puppy for socialization, but she’ll never forget his expression the first time he got to do the himself.
“He looked at me and he said, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to do this now!’” she recalls. “It was so cute … And I have to tell you, he’s probably the best agility dog I’ve ever had.”
Gus and Luka are Sjogren’s first dogs to earn their Master Agility Champion and Preferred Agility Champion titles — dogs she never intended to keep, trained for a different life entirely.
“That was the best part,” Sjogren says. “Getting a PACH and a MACH on these dogs that started out as something else, that’s what I think is cool.”
Setting a New Course
While Sjogren is proud that Luka and Gus qualified for the AKC National Agility Championship, she’s going to focus on enjoying the overall experience with her dogs and her friends at DASH. “If I can have one qualifying ribbon, I’m great,” she says. “My class will love it.”
Luka and Gus didn’t work out as guide dogs, but they are part of something significant. Sjogren is currently raising her eighth guide dog, and she’s inspired other teachers in the district to become puppy raisers. On Fridays, Gus visits the school library to support children learning to read.
In June, Hope View Elementary hosts its annual Service Dog Day, where students meet puppy raisers and working service teams — including a guide dog who was raised at the school several years ago. The students raise thousands of dollars each year to sponsor a new guide dog puppy, and the whole school votes on its name.
Having the experience of raising a service dog helps teach the kids empathy and compassion, Sjogren says. “Your job in life is to give back to others and to do good things for people, and this is a great way to do it, because we love dogs,” she says. “Sure, it’s sad when you have to give them back, but you just can see the difference it makes in someone’s life.”