This excellent young man obtained his diploma.
Griffin, a devoted service dog from upstate New York, accompanied his owner as she pursued her master’s degree in occupational therapy, and at the weekend’s graduation ceremony, he received an honorary degree of his own.
Griffin’s owner, Brittany Hawley, said on Monday, “I pushed for him to graduate from Day One.” “He did exactly what I did.” The golden retriever assists Hawley, 25, who uses a wheelchair and suffers from chronic pain, by opening doors, turning on lights, and retrieving objects she points to with a laser pointer. Most importantly, the pup offers comfort amid Hawley’s chronic pain, which fuels anxiety and sadness.
Griffin went with Hawley to her classes at Clarkson University in Potsdam and to her internship at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she worked with service members who had impairments. According to Hawley, “My patients would say, “My therapist today is Brittany and Griffin.”
The 4-year-old dog received an honorary degree from Clarkson on Saturday after exhibiting “exceptional effort, unshakable commitment, and devoted attention to the well-being and educational achievement” of Hawley, according to the board of trustees.
Through a program called paws4prison, which allows convicts to train service animals, the two came together. According to Hawley, “the inmates let many dogs walk up to you and let the dog choose you.” “The wheelchair terrified some dogs. Griffin immediately got into my lap and licked my face.
Hawley claims that Griffin will stand by her side as she fills out employment applications. Without him, “I couldn’t participate in anything,” she claimed. I’m so accustomed to his presence.