Student of the Week: Erin Edwards

Pit Talk highlights a different student each week. Know someone we should profile? E-mail dthpittalk@gmail.com.

Name: Erin Edwards
Class: 2011
Hometown: Scranton, PA
Degree: J.D.

Most students go to UNC Student Stores to buy textbooks, try on basketball jerseys or even check out the magazines at Bull’s Head Bookshop .

Erin Edwards, however, goes there to ride the escalators with her golden retriever, Duncan. Edwards, a 3L at UNC School of Law and a chemistry major from UNC-Greensboro , trains service dogs for owners with diabetic issues and physical disabilities as a puppy parent for Carrboro-based Eyes Ears Nose and Paws .

“He was afraid of the escalator for a long time,” Edwards said of Duncan. “We go up and down the escalator almost every day, and I give him treats on the escalator to teach him not to be afraid of it. I reinforce what he learns when he’s at school, and they teach him the hardest stuff. I think the people at the bookstore get a big kick out of it.”

Edwards, who is neither disabled nor diabetic and also conducts tours for prospective UNC Law students, got involved as a puppy parent with Eyes Ears Nose and Paws through a friend who was also involved in it. She had never owned a dog before—despite asking her family every year for one. She has been looking after service dogs-in-training for over a year now.

“I’m making up for lost time now that I always have one with me now,” Edwards said.

Duncan always accompanies Edwards wherever she goes, including restaurants, the mall, her Durham-based internship and even whenever she goes to court.

“A good analogy would be that I’m his foster parent,” Even though he belongs to [Eyes Ears Nose and Paws] he stays with me. Everywhere I go he goes with me, even to the bathroom.” She added he has also seen a movie with her and been to this year’s UNC-Duke men’s basketball game.

Eyes Ears Nose and Paws pays for major veterinary care costs, and places dogs with disabled or diabetic owners upon finishing training. Puppy parents are responsible for helping reinforce the dogs’ training lessons and as well as helping the dogs adapt to real-world situations.

“You go out into the public and he’ll see things that are weird for a dog,” she said of Duncan, adding she had to teach him not to be afraid of rolling backpacks. “I reinforce what he learns when he’s at school, and they teach him the hardest stuff.”

Edwards has encountered a variety of reactions wherever she brings Duncan off-campus. At one restaurant, a waiter brought Duncan a bowl of water without even asking. At another restaurant in Carrboro around six months ago, the owner telephoned the cops after she and a group of other Eyes Ears Nose and Paws trainers refused to leave because they had dogs with them—all despite being legal under N.C. state law .

“I always carry a copy of the state law with me in case the situation arises,” she said, adding that such occurrences are rare. “If you want to be a puppy parent, you have to have the kind of personality where you stand up for yourself. “

At the law school, however, Edwards said she is happy with the how welcoming administrators and professors have been with Duncan whenever she brings him in, whether for class or for a school tour.

“When he was little he had to go to the bathroom a lot but…my professors were okay about me taking him outside,” she said. “When he was a young puppy he wanted to roll on a little bit, sometimes we’d go outside and get his head straight.” She adds that she loves how he often sleeps and snores in her disability law class—something her class professor always jokingly points out.

At the end of the day, however, Edwards loves how Duncan acts like a regular dog when he’s off-duty.

“He knows when he’s working and when he’s not,” Edwards said. “We go to school and he’s very serious and quiet, but when he comes home he’s a regular dog. He likes to chew his bone and play tug of war. I like seeing the difference between them and how he’s like two different dogs.”

Interested in becoming a puppy parent? Eyes Ears Nose and Paws will be holding a puppy parent orientation at their headquarters on May 3rd and a foster dog training event from May 13th-15th for students and others interested in doing so. You can also find more information about Duncan on his Facebook fan page .

Eric Pesale: What’s your favorite Franklin Street restaurant or bar, and why?

Erin Edwards: YoPo , because they serve delicious frozen yogurt. It’s the best place. I love it! I go with whatever is chocolately or peanut buttery.

EP: What are Duncan’s favorite snacks?

EE: Hot dogs, cheese, carrots and bananas.

EP: What’s your favorite author and/or book?

EE: I love to read, and I’ve read so many books! I just finished A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius bv Dave Eggers, and I just finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy and it was really good. It’s nice a take break from the textbooks every once and a while.

EP: What’s your biggest fear?

EE: I’m terrified of centipedes. I don’t know why, I think they’re so creepy. I would scream, definitely…I might pass out. I don’t understand why they need so many legs. My husband John always knows when I see one because I scream very loudly.

EP: What are your top three favorite films?

EE: Crash , because it makes me cry every time I see it; Moulin Rouge! , because it’s very entertaining; and Monsters, Inc. , because I think that little girl is cute. My husband and I love the same movies.

EP: What would be your dream vacation?

EE: I’m definitely a beach girl, so if I had to pick mountains or beach I’d pick beach. I’ve never been to Mexico or the Caribbean. Even though I studied abroad in Europe I’ve never had a chance to travel, so I’d probably pick a week at the beach anywhere Mexico…or a year. It’s my dream so I get to pick it!

EP: What’s your favorite dog breed?

EE: I love bulldogs, just because I think their wrinkles or so cute. And because you can teach them how to skateboard . I’d totally do that!