STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WHTM) – Penn State men’s soccer “signed” a new player to their team on Jan. 23 when they welcomed future guide dog Brie to the squad.

“It’s been a cool experience,” said Kate Deakins, men’s soccer Director of Operations and Player Care and Brie’s handler. “The team, the coaches, everybody loves having her be a part of it.”

Deakins is raising the 10-week-old black lab for the Guide Dog Foundation (GDF), an organization that breeds dogs to be guide dogs. They also have a partnership with America’s Vet Dogs (AVD) and train some dogs to be service dogs.

Deakins’s job is to train Brie in basic dog skills until she is old enough to begin her guide dog training.

“For the next 14 to 18 months the big thing that I am working on with Brie are things like good house manners, potty training and basic obedience skills,” Deakins said. “The biggest one is just giving her lots of experiences and exposure to a lot of different things so that when she goes back in for formal training she’s a confident pup.”

Brie will act as the men’s soccer “team dog” during her puppy training. Brie goes to all of the practices and team meetings with Deakins and spends her downtime in the athletic office. In the fall, she will be attending home games.

Brie is the second dog Deakins has raised for the Guide Dog Foundation and the second Penn State men’s soccer mascot. Their last dog, Lindsay, stayed with the team for a year and a half, returning to the foundation in May of 2023 to begin her formal guide dog training.

Deakins said the team was heartbroken when Lindsay graduated to her next stage of training.

“(The players) were absolutely devastated when we had to send Lindsay back off to the guide dog foundation, which is definitely a difficult part of the process,” Deakins said. “But it’s also really cool to see the impact that they make in people’s lives. So it’s worth the trade-off.”

The athletes are thrilled to welcome another dog onto their roster.

“They were excited to bring in another puppy and have another puppy be a part of the team and just see them on a day-to-day basis,” Deakins said.

Although Brie is not a therapy dog, she brings a lot of joy to the athletes. Deakins only works with the men’s soccer team, but other Penn State athletic programs such as men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball and wrestling are housed in the same building Deakins office is located.

This means Brie gets to bring a smile to many Penn State athlete’s faces throughout the day.

“Student-athletes from all the rest of those teams, when they see Brie and me coming they immediately stop, ask if they can say hello and stuff and then they proceed to tell me about their dogs back home or things like that,” Deakins said. “It brings this little piece of home to them and joy to their days. It is just something to put a smile on their face.”

Close

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Nittany Insiders

Deakins says these interactions are an important part of Brie’s social training and serve as a mutually beneficial relationship.

“She’s not a therapy dog, but (she brings) joy and smiles to the team, the other teams on campus, the people who work within our building and everyone just absolutely adores her,” Deakins said.

When Brie returns to the Guide Dog Foundation, it will take her about 3-4 months to be fully trained as a guide dog. Until then, Brie will be supporting the Nittany Lions on the pitch and continue to bring smiles to those in blue and white while they navigate the demanding student-athlete lifestyle.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.