Guiding Patriots was a Registered Student Organization (RSO) with George Mason University. Guiding Patriots worked with the Guide Dog Foundation of America, and America’s VetDogs: organizations that have been raising puppies to become future service animals for those in need.

Whether they are people with visual impairments, or Veterans with PTSD, those dogs had greatly improved the lives of many.

Guiding Patriots became an official R.S.O. with George Mason University on January 29th 2026, after a short period of working on campus with permission from the Office of Disability Services. Guiding Patriots’ presence on campus has been lighting up George Mason University, and both students and professors have noticed. The program was an incredible success. Until now.

On Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 the George Mason University Office of Access, Compliance and Community told our organization that the dogs would not be allowed to operate inside of buildings on the George Mason University Campus. They later decided that the dogs’ presence on campus was not necessary, and have permanently banned the Guiding Patriots from operating inside of buildings on the GMU Campus. 

Due to this decision, Guiding Patriots has been disbanded.

However, we want to bring this program back, and we want to do it the right way.

Living on college campuses allows the dogs to be exposed to a number of different environments. Quiet classrooms, active campus buildings, and walkways, where daily, they encounter hundreds of people. 

Hundreds of people are currently participating in college programs across the country: whether the program is an extracurricular or a credited course. 

College programs like this are common across the United States and they are essential to the success of organizations such as The Guide Dog Foundation, Canine Companions, America’s VetDogs and more. We at Guiding Patriots had been so grateful to be apart of such a large movement for good, even if it was just for a short time.

The Guiding Patriots took intentional steps to follow the rules GMU had put in place. However, the same courtesy was not extended to us. We were blindsided by the decision from the Office of Access, Compliance and Community. Over the course of a Tuesday afternoon, our lives were turned upside down, and our two dogs were removed from campus without warning. 

The OACC took two weeks to come to a decision regarding the dogs, which resulted in our termination of organization and denied access to the GMU buildings. 

This decision has been confusing, hurtful, and incredibly difficult for us to process. These dogs have not been disruptive, have not been distracting, and have positively impacted the lives of students, faculty, and staff at George Mason. We at Guiding Patriots ask you for your support in reinstating our organization, and helping to raise helpful and loving service dogs for people in need, no matter how big or small.

By signing this petition you are supporting our fight to bring back The Guiding Patriots, whether they’re coming back as a club, or a credit course offered with the university. 

Thank you for doing your part.