WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — Right now Pearl the puppy has limited skills. She's pretty good at not peeing in the house. She sits upon command — most of the time. And she's terrific at flopping over to expose her pudgy belly for petting.

The 4-month-old roly-poly yellow Labrador retriever is on a training track to become a service dog with a special mission to help a child with autism. She's got a long way to go to meet that goal. But if being adorable is any indication of her future success, she'll be great.

Pearl is in the care and tutelage of Nicole Guite, 34, of Wausau. Nicole brings years of exper...