5 Dogs That Received an Honorary College Degree

By Linda Cole

Colleges and universities often bestow honorary degrees to individuals for outstanding contributions or distinction. Sometimes it's a four legged individual that impresses committee members. Ellis, Samson, Zeeke and Elvis are dogs who received honorary degrees for their contributions to their humans, and Dylan received a posthumous award for his owner.

Ellis

Amanda Davis is legally blind, but having a disability didn't stop her from realizing her dream of getting a law degree. While she was getting her undergraduate degree at the University of Tampa, she was paired with a black Lab named Ellis after she applied for a guide dog from the Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ. Davis was accepted into the New York Law School to continue her education, and Ellis was by her side the entire time. The school made room in the classrooms and gave Ellis time for breaks when they were needed. When Davis and Ellis crossed the stage on graduation day in 2012, she received her law degree and Ellis was given an honorary degree for his outstanding work as a service dog.

Samson

Samson

In 2011, a 2 year old yellow Lab named Samson graduated from and received an honorary degree from Oklahoma University. He entered the hallowed halls of higher education as an eight week old pup. Occupational therapist and faculty member in the Rehabilitative Services Department, Dr. Mary Isaacson, would spend the next two years training Samson as a service dog. Part of his training included learning how to hold open doors, retrieve objects on the floor, and turn lights on and off. Samson completed his education, donned his cap and gown, and graduated as a certified service dog ready to assist someone living with a disability in Oklahoma. When Samson received his honorary degree, he sat and shook the Dean's hand, like any other graduate. The 300 other graduates were thrilled to share their special day with a dog they knew and loved.

Zeeke

In 2008, a one year old Golden Retriever named Zeeke received a bachelor's degree in canine companionship from Ohio Northern University. J.J. Coate, a biology and pre-veterinary medicine senior, gave Zeeke thousands of hours of training as part of her honors project. The university decided to give the dog an honorary degree for all his hard work. Zeeke was trained to pull a wheelchair, open doors and pick up objects off the floor. Coate did her project in partnership with Canine Companions for Independence, an organization that places service dogs with disabled people free of charge.

Elvis

In 2005, a six year old Welsh Corgi mix named Elvis received an honorary degree in calculus from Hope College in Michigan. Elvis helped his owner, Dr. Timothy Pennings, a math professor at Hope College, teach his students a standard calculus problem –finding the quickest, not the shortest, path between point A and point B. Pennings was tossing a tennis ball into Lake Michigan one afternoon for Elvis to retrieve, when he noticed the dog took the quickest and most efficient route each time to retrieve the ball. If he threw it close to shore, Elvis swam directly to it, but if it was thrown farther out, he ran along the shore line until he came to the optimal point, which is the quickest path from A to B, and then jumped into the water and swam to the ball. Pennings continued to experiment, tossing the ball in different directions and distances, calculating each path Elvis ran. He discovered Elvis was within a foot of the optimal path every time. To Pennings, this suggests that dogs may have the ability to problem solve… or they are good at calculus.

Dylan

An eight year old Golden Retriever named Dylan crossed the stage in 2012 at Wright State University, not to receive a degree for himself, but to accept a posthumous degree in Psychology for his 23 year old owner who had passed away. Samantha Laux spent three years working on her bachelor's degree while battling a neurological disease that left her deaf, blind and in a wheelchair. She was forced to quit school before graduating because of her disability. Samantha was a courageous young woman who accomplished a lot in her short life, and didn't let her disability define who she was. She fought for and got an on-campus park for service dogs where people could find a safe place to spend time with their dogs, and she wrote four children's books about service dogs to honor Dylan and what he did for her.

Samson photo courtesy of Sooner Magazine/Ace Cuervo Photography

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Give Your “Fur Baby” a Hug for National Pet Month

By Linda Cole

National Pet Month is a perfect time to celebrate how special our furry best friends are! This month dedicated to pets was started twenty years ago in England as a way to promote the love of pets with five specific goals.

1. Responsible Pet Ownership

Bringing a pet into your home is a serious decision. Pets aren't bookends or accessories, and it's important to get a pet for the right reasons, as well as to find one that fits your lifestyle. There are many considerations to think about before adopting a pet, because you are making a commitment to be a responsible pet owner for their lifetime.

We want to make sure our pets are up to date on their vaccinations, get enough exercise, have a safe and comfortable place to sleep at night, and eat nutritious food like CANIDAE All Life Stages dog food or FELIDAE cat food to help them maintain a proper weight and stay healthy. It's our job to worry about our furry friends and make sure we have a plan in place for emergencies and a pet first aid kit for unexpected needs.

2. Benefits of Owning a Pet

Children who grow up in homes with a pet are less likely to develop allergies, and being exposed to a pet in the first year of their life may have a positive impact on their developing immune system. Studies have shown that pets help kids with social, emotional, cognitive and physical development, and help teach a child responsibility and empathy. Having a pet at home helps us recover faster from an illness or surgery and they help lower stress levels, which reduces the heart rate and blood pressure.

Pets are even good therapists for us. Only a pet will give us unconditional love and listen to us without judging or being critical. The act of petting a dog or cat calms the person stroking them. Researchers are still trying to figure out why cat owners have fewer strokes than non cat owners. Science may not have all of the answers, but they do know that owning a pet is good for the body and soul.

3. Raise Awareness to Services from Pet Professionals

One aspect of being a responsible pet owner is finding a qualified veterinarian you trust. We depend on our vet to help us keep our animals healthy, and it's comforting to know they are only a phone call away. You can turn to your vet for advice, recommendations and proper health care when it's needed. Dog trainers teach us how to educate our dogs. Animal behaviorists and veterinary behaviorists help us learn how to deal with behavior issues in pets and help correct behavioral problems. And animal researchers dig into the mind and soul of pets, reminding us how amazing and special our pets are.

4. Raise Awareness to the Role of Service Animals 

Service animals help people with disabilities live as normal of a life as they can. With the help of a well trained dog, someone living with a disability can have an independent and full life. When it comes to aiding people, it seems like there's almost nothing we can't teach a dog to do. And canines are more than willing to assist us. Whether it's detecting low blood sugar in a diabetic, helping a child with autism cope, or alerting their owner of an impending seizure, the loyalty and dedication of service animals is second to none.

5. Raise Awareness for Pet Adoptions

Adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue group truly does save a life. You never know where you will find your best four legged friend. Hollywood animal trainers have long known that their next pet movie star is waiting in a shelter somewhere. The vast majority of shelter pets are well behaved, smart and eager for “their” human to walk through the door.

National Pet Month is a time to celebrate the love our pets give us. A common goal should be to improve the lives of pets no matter where they live. Our pets are there by our side and would happily follow us no matter where we go. When you have a strong bond and the trust of a pet, you can see their unconditional love shining out from their eyes. Once a pet gets into your heart, their love will remain with you for your entire lifetime, because it's impossible to forget the love they gave you.

Top photo by coda.allegra
Bottom  photo by Melissa Jonas

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