‘Doggles,’ booties keep student’s service dog safe in the lab
When Genesis Contreras ’24 transferred to Cornell earlier this year, she wanted to gain research experience in a lab, but there was a challenge: Contreras relies on a service dog to warn her of sudden and debilitating headaches and fainting spells – and, due to potential hazards, even service dogs are often prohibited in a lab setting.
In other words, Contreras needed her dog to keep her safe in the lab, but the dog, a 4-year-old beagle named Nugget, needed to be safe in the lab as well.
Multiple faculty and staff at Cornell worked collaboratively with Contreras, an animal science major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, to find a solution. Now Nugget works in the lab in full personal protective equipment (PPE), including “doggles” or dog goggles, booties and a custom lab jacket.