Friday night was the Helping Paws Graduation. There were five graduate teams (person + dog). Scott was the event photographer and I assisted him while Seva waited, not so patiently, off to the side. It was hard for the little bear to be leashed to a table while people and dogs milled about right in front of her. Still, the photographer and his assistant had work to do and she did actually survive not being the center of attention for a while.

Increased independence, companionship, and social visibility are major benefits of having a service dog. It was wonderful to see dogs that have been placed and to hear from the graduates how the dogs have already made their lives better. One of them is the first Helping Paws dog to be placed with a veteran as a PTSD dog. Maybe you’ve seen Carl and Jed in the news. Carl has said that Jed is helping him reconnect with his family.

Seva is about a year away from graduation. Yes, I will be sad to give her up. Of course, but if you see the dogs with their graduates and hear how a dog has changed someone’s life, you’ll understand why Seva is a Wonder Dog.

2013 Helping Paws Graduates