Millersville Student’s Dog Churro Selected for CIA Detection Work
Churro started out as a 10 week old puppy with outsized paws and a lively personality. In August 2026, the dog raised at Millersville University by student Isabelle Wheeler was selected to become a CIA electronic detection K9, a new role that now has her living with a handler and preparing for duty.
The change is a big one for both Churro and Wheeler. Churro, who was raised through the university’s Paws on Deck club in partnership with Susquehanna Service Dogs, has moved into a working role with the CIA. According to Wheeler, Churro now lives with her handler and will work alongside him while on duty. Her job training includes learning to detect devices such as phones, hard drives and cameras.
For Wheeler, a biology secondary education major from Carlisle and Paws on Deck’s vice president, the selection marked the end of nearly two years of raising and training the dog. She was matched with Churro in September 2024. The puppy had come from North Carolina through Eyes Ears Nose and Paws, an organization that also trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
Wheeler said the match quickly became meaningful to her, and she described the time she spent raising Churro as some of the best of her life. She said Churro brought laughter during difficult moments and pushed her to be better both personally and academically.
How Churro reached the CIA track
Paws on Deck helps students learn about service dogs and the support they provide to people with disabilities. Students can also raise dogs for Susquehanna Service Dogs, with outcomes that may include service, hearing or facility work for children and adults with disabilities. Some dogs are also considered for K9 training.
Wheeler said the process involves multiple stages and regular evaluations. Raisers are asked to go to the main Susquehanna Service Dogs training center in Grantville one to two times each week for instruction from professional trainers. Puppies start in early socialization, move into purple class to sharpen and add cues, and later advance to green class, where they continue refining skills and begin learning cues tied to a future placement.
During green class, dogs complete a one year walk and talk evaluation that helps trainers gauge progress and identify possible career fits. Dogs that are ready move into Advanced Training. Wheeler said Churro spent three to four months in that stage before trainers decided the CIA was the right path for her.
A proud goodbye
Wheeler said she was both happy and proud when she learned where Churro was headed. She said the result showed that their work together had paid off and that Susquehanna Service Dogs had found the right job for Churro.
She also described dropping Churro off as one of her hardest and best days. Life at school has changed without the dog beside her, she said, but she is glad Churro has her forever job and the chance to meet new people and settle into the purpose trainers identified for her.
Wheeler credited Paws on Deck for helping her through the experience, saying the club gave her a sense of community and lasting friendships while she took on the challenge of raising a puppy in college.
Share this article:
