It wasn’t the path she chose—but it was the one she survived. Meet Lottie, a service‑dog trainee whose life changed forever in a split second.
The crash that took her raiser’s life in 2017 also set Lottie on a journey that would affect countless others.
Back when she was still a puppy in training, Lottie and her raiser, a student named Shannon at Washington State University, were sharing the car ride home.
Suddenly, a distracted driver turned everything upside down. Shannon lost her life. Lottie emerged as the sole survivor.
The shock didn’t stop after the crash.
Lottie had lost the person she had learned to lean on, and the campus lost a passionate puppy‑raiser who’d inspired others.
Shannon’s family and friends watched Lottie, and recognized what was missing: her youth’s purpose.
So they asked a different question—what if this wasn’t the end for her, but the beginning?
Thus the “Prendergast Pups” club was born—a student‑run volunteer puppy‑raising program right on campus.
Shannon’s name became more than a memory; it became a mission.
Lottie—and all the pups that followed—became living proof that hope can walk through grief and turn into action.
Lottie now lives a new life with Shannon’s mother, and she works in a Washington elementary school, offering comfort and support to children carrying trauma of their own.
She doesn’t pull a wheelchair or open doors. She pulls hearts gently open.
Meanwhile, the puppy‑raising club has already raised 11 future service dogs.
It operates like this: students volunteer, raise a puppy during its formative months, integrate it into campus life and community outings, and eventually hand it off for specialized training and final placement.
All this in honor of a student who gave so much to service dogs when she was still alive.
Here’s what blows me away: Lottie didn’t just survive a tragedy. She became the spark.
She became the reason others stepped up to raise pups who will assist veterans, diabetics, people with PTSD.
She turned what could have been a tragic footnote into a chapter of purpose.
And for the students? It’s more than raising a dog. It’s about carrying forward the spark of someone who believed in better.
It’s about saying: we saw you. We saw Lottie. We’ll keep going.
If you’re thinking about how to make a difference, consider this: you don’t have to wait for the perfect circumstance. You may not have the perfect resume.
But you can show up. Pay attention. Step forward. Be like the students who carried Shannon’s legacy—and Lottie’s wag.
This isn’t just a story of survival. It’s a story of transformation. A puppy who lost everything found purpose.
A campus club formed from grief grew into a force for good.
And the next dog waiting to be raised is one step closer to changing a life—because someone chose to keep going.
And maybe this: sometimes when life knocks you down, it also hands you seeds.
Because of one crash, one dog, one student, we now have dozens of pups on campus who will one day wear vests and change worlds.
They’re doing the work. She started the spark. Lottie keeps it going.
Sometimes, the best lives are those born from loss—and transformed by love.
