“Griffin” Hawley, the Golden Retriever service dog, receives a congrats embrace from his owner Brittany Hawley after receiving an honorary diploma from Clarkson on Saturday, December 15, 2018, during the Clarkson University “December Recognition Ceremony” in Potsdam, N.Y. Brittany Hawley, Griffin’s owner, also has a doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy. Both students attended all of their classes together.
The school’s board of trustees honored the 4-year-old golden retriever during a recognition event on Saturday, saying he displayed “exceptional effort, unshakable devotion, and devoted attention to the well-being and academic achievement” of Hawley.
“The convicts let multiple dogs approach you and let the dog chose you,” Hawley explained. “Some of the dogs were terrified of the wheelchair. Griffin rushed into my lap and licked the side of my face.”
During an internship, Hawley and Griffin assisted troops with physical limitations as well as psycho-social issues at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Brushing a dog can assist enhance a patient’s range of motion, and touching him can help relieve anxiety, according to Hawley.
“My patients would remark, ‘Today, my therapists are Brittany and Griffin,'” she explained.
When she applies for employment, she and Griffin will be considered a package deal, according to Hawley.
“I couldn’t do anything without him,” she explained. “I’m so used to seeing him.”
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