WAUKESHA, Wis. — Emily Knapp and Sunny are best friends. They’ve only known each other a couple short months, but the bond is unbreakable.

“I love her personality because it meshes so well with mine,” Emily said. “We’re both pretty chill.”

Sunny is a one-year-old shelter dog, a rescue from down south. She’s one of four dogs participating this year in Carroll University’s Animal Behavior program. The college has partnered with HAWS, the Humane Animal Welfare Society, for the last two years.

The program is designed to give animal behavior majors at the college hands-on experience before entering the workforce. It also gives rescue dogs all the training they need to succeed in their eventual forever homes.

“The first semester is where the students are learning about care, training principles and everything that goes into setting a dog up for success,” said Leann Boucha, the program’s adjunct professor and HAWS’s Behavior Department Manager. “The second semester follows in the spring and that’s when they get their own foster dog on campus.”

Emily’s favorite part is watching Sunny’s progress.

“Getting to work with an animal who hasn’t had much experience because she’s been in a shelter for so long,” Emily said. “It’s been great to see how well she’s adjusting to normal life being in a house with people.”

Over the program’s two-year history, eight students and dogs have participated. Leann said there’s been a lot of interest and the program is set to expand in the coming years.