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Service dogs can be valuable companions for those in need. Not only can they provide medical and emotional help, but they are also excellent and loyal pets that will accompany you when you need them most.
Therefore, after a loyal service dog has been with him throughout graduate school, the college considers him worthy of great honor.
Brittany Hawley from Wilson, North Carolina, sits in a wheelchair and suffers from a condition called complex regional pain syndrome. She is the perfect candidate for a service dog, a few years ago she obtained one through the paws4prisons program.
When she met a dog named Griffin, she knew he was the one: “Some dogs were scared of the wheelchair,” Brittany told AP. “Griffin jumped right into my lap and licked me across the face.”
Just as he was about to embark on an exciting new journey, Griffin entered his life: studying at Clarkson University and earning a master’s degree in occupational therapy.
This dog proved his worth: he was able to participate in all the courses in Brittany and helped her open doors and collect materials. In times of anxiety and depression, he also proved to be a comforting friend.
“I felt more independent, I was more social, I felt more outgoing with him,” Brittany told CBS News. Brittany and Griffin continued to thrive at Clarkson, and in late 2018 Brittany was ready to graduate.
But she knew she couldn’t have done it without her service dog… and knew she couldn’t celebrate without him. “We moved to New York together, we started school together and we finished together,” Brittany said.
She didn’t just want him by her side, however—she wanted him to have his own degree. “I pushed from day one, when I graduate, I want Griffin to graduate with me.
Remarkably, the university agreed—and Griffin got to walk across the stage and accept his own honorary degree for “extraordinary contributions to student success.”
“The Board of Trustees recognized that Griffin has demonstrated extraordinary effort, steadfast commitment, and diligent dedication to the wellbeing and student success of his owner Brittany,” Clarkson said in a statement.
“The two have pursued 100% together a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy attending all the same classes, lectures, faculty appointments … fully making Griffin an equal member of the Clarkson Golden Knights family.”
After graduation, Brittany continued to pursue her dream of becoming an occupational therapist, hoping to work with veterans and military people.
And of course, she’ll keep her loyal service dog right by her side. “Whenever I get a job, he will be with me every single day,” Brittany said.
