Service dogs can be invaluable companions to people who need them. Not only can they provide medical and emotional help, they also just make great, loyal pets, by your side when you need them most.\n

So after one loyal service dog stayed by his human\u2019s side throughout grad school, the university decided he was worthy of a major honor.\n

Brittany Hawley, from Wilson, North Carolina, uses a wheelchair and suffers from a condition called complex regional pain syndrome. She was the perfect candidate for a service dog, and a few years ago received one through the paws4prisons program.\n

When she met a dog named Griffin, she knew he was the one: \u201cSome dogs were scared of the wheelchair,\u201d Brittany told AP. \u201cGriffin jumped right into my lap and licked me across the face.\u201d\n

Griffin came into her life just as she was about to embark on an exciting new journey: attending Clarkson University to get her master\u2019s degree in occupational therapy.\n

The dog proved his worth: he was able to go to all of Brittany\u2019s classes, and helped her by doing things like opening doors and fetching supplies. He also proved to be a comforting friends during periods of anxiety and depression.\n

\u201cI felt more independent, I was more social, I felt more outgoing with him,\u201d Brittany told CBS News.\n

Brittany and Griffin continued to thrive at Clarkson, and in late 2018 Brittany was ready to graduate.\n

But she knew she couldn\u2019t have done it without her service dog\u2026 and knew she couldn\u2019t celebrate without him.\n

\u201cWe moved to New York together, we started school together and we finished together,\u201d Brittany said.\n

She didn\u2019t just want him by her side, however\u2014she wanted him to have his own degree.\n

\u201cI pushed from day one, when I graduate, I want Griffin to graduate with me.\u201d\n

Remarkably, the university agreed\u2014and Griffin got to walk across the stage and accept his own honorary degree for \u201cextraordinary contributions to student success.\u201d\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Clarkson said in a statement.\n

\u201cThe two have pursued 100% together a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy attending all the same classes, lectures, faculty appointments \u2026 fully making Griffin an equal member of the Clarkson Golden Knights family.\u201d\n

After graduation, Brittany continued to pursue her dream of becoming an occupational therapist, hoping to work with veterans and military people.\n

\u201cWhenever I get a job, he will be with me every single day,\u201d Brittany said.\n

What a fitting honor for this loyal service dog! He definitely earned that degree!\n

It goes to show the remarkable impact service dogs can have. Share this inspiring story!\n

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Service dog got his owner through grad school, so the university gave him his own degree\n