How My Service Dog Helped Me Graduate and Earn My Doctorate
How My Service Dog Helped Me Graduate and Earn My Doctorate
6 min read
How My Service Dog Helped Me Graduate and Earn My Doctorate
For Warrior and Army Veteran Liyah, her Service Dog Johnson helped her to graduate and earn her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Auburn University. But before she and Johnson walked across the stage this past May, she had to find her way back to a life she once believed she had lost.
As students across the country head back to school this month, Warrior Liyah is reflecting on a journey that began years before pharmacy school – and on the Service Dog who helped make that journey possible.
For Liyah, going back to school was about more than earning a degree. It meant learning how to navigate classrooms, advocate for herself, build connections and pursue her future while living with the lasting effects of trauma.
And through it all, Johnson was by her side.
Before Johnson, Liyah rarely left home. She served in the U.S. Army as a Pharmacy Technician, where her interest in healthcare grew into a calling.
Her military service taught her teamwork, resiliency and how to adapt to new environments and cultures. But on September 30, 2017, her life changed when she was sexually assaulted by a fellow service member.
“I was sexually assaulted…by one of the very people I thought would keep me safe,” Liyah shares.
In the aftermath, Liyah struggled with depression and began withdrawing from the people around her. She stopped feeling safe and started building walls between herself and others.
“I developed the mindset that I wouldn’t get hurt if I just kept my head down and spoke to no one,” Liyah says. “I didn’t feel safe anymore.”
She stopped going out and limited her connections with others. Eventually, Liyah sought counseling and continued working toward her education. After retiring from the Army, she enrolled in college, entering another structured environment as a non-traditional student.
But the wounds she carried with her had not fully healed.
Her therapist eventually asked a question that would change the trajectory of her life: Had she ever considered getting a Service Dog?
At the time, Liyah knew very little about Service Dogs for Veterans. But she started searching, and that led her to K9s For Warriors.
Liyah Meets Service Dog Johnson
Once Liyah was accepted into the K9s For Warriors program, she was ready to begin. And on March 2, 2020, Liyah met her Service Dog Johnson.
She remembers the first time she saw him – and the feeling that something about their connection was different.
“I remember him being so calm, grounded and stoic…everything I didn’t know I needed,” Liyah says.
The contrast between Liyah’s life before Johnson and the life she would build with him became clear almost immediately.
During their training, Liyah learned Johnson’s quirks and personality. But the most meaningful thing Liyah learned about Johnson had nothing to do with his favorite toy.
Liyah had learned that Johnson was born just two weeks before the assault that changed her life.
“In that moment, I knew, without a doubt, that he was created just for me,” she says.
Upon completion and graduation of the program, they headed home to begin the next chapter of their journey together.
“My Service Dog helped me through college – and taught me to advocate for others and myself.”
For Liyah, going to college with her Service Dog meant more than simply bringing Johnson into the classroom.
It meant learning how to advocate for herself, understand her rights and communicate what she and Johnson needed to successfully navigate an academic environment.
When Liyah was accepted into Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy, she worked with faculty and staff to establish accommodations for both herself and Johnson. That included seating accommodations that allowed them to leave the classroom easily when needed, as well as an agreed-upon alias for Johnson to help protect his identity.
Over time, Johnson became a familiar presence across campus.
The College of Pharmacy provided him with his own badge and professional headshot. He participated alongside Liyah at Auburn athletic events, including when she sang the national anthem, and joined her in volunteer activities.
For Liyah, his presence also became an opportunity to learn how to speak up.
“I think he has helped me with advocacy because part of pharmacy school is learning how to advocate for your field and chosen field of practice,” Liyah says. “He has helped me practice self-advocacy and by extension practice advocacy in my field.”
That lesson became especially important as Liyah began thinking about what would happen after graduation.
She knew that working in pharmacy would mean entering clinical environments where a Service Dog might raise questions. So, she began researching the requirements surrounding Service Dogs in her field.
Liyah ultimately connected with the Alabama Board of Pharmacy, working with the organization to draft a letter formally recognizing Johnson as a Service Dog and clarifying the environments where he could accompany her during her training and future employment.
Her work helped create greater clarity around what it can look like to enter a healthcare profession with a Service Dog – something that could benefit other students and professionals with disabilities in the future.
Graduating with Service Dog Johnson by Her Side
Over the six years since Liyah and Johnson were paired, the two have traveled throughout the East Coast, attended leadership conferences and advocacy events, and navigated the many experiences that come with living, learning and working together.
But they have also encountered challenges.
Liyah says they have been turned away from restaurants, while Uber rides have been cancelled or delayed. Those experiences have only strengthened her desire to educate others about Service Dogs and their role.
Through it all, Johnson remained by her side.
Then came the milestone they had worked toward together: Liyah earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Auburn University in May 2026, becoming the first student to complete the program with a Service Dog by her side.
The accomplishment represented far more than a diploma…it represented independence, the ability to dream again and just how far Liyah has come.
“K9s For Warriors has been an advocate for me and Johnson for the last five years,” Liyah says. “And I can’t thank them enough for pairing me with this special boy.”
The accomplishment represented far more than a diploma…it represented independence, the ability to dream again and just how far Liyah has come.
“K9s For Warriors has been an advocate for me and Johnson for the last five years,” Liyah says. “And I can’t thank them enough for pairing me with this special boy.”
Navigating College and Healing with My Service Dog
Looking back, Liyah says Johnson has taught her much more than how to navigate college or pharmacy school.
He has helped her become a voice for others.
“He has taught me how to be a voice for those who don’t have one,” she says, “how to be an encouragement to those who have lost it.”
Most importantly, Johnson became a reminder of how much can change when someone has the support they need to move forward.
For years, Liyah viewed the wound she carried as a symbol of shame, loneliness and unworthiness. But today, she sees it differently.
“Because of him, my family and the support of many of you, this wound that once represented shame, loneliness and unworthiness…has healed,” Liyah says. “What now remains is a scar that represents strength, hope and endurance.”
As another school year begins, Liyah’s story offers a powerful reminder that education is about more than what happens inside a classroom. For Veterans returning to school, pursuing a new career or working toward a lifelong goal, having the right support can make the difference between simply getting by and being able to thrive.
For Liyah, that support came in the form of a four-legged battle buddy named Johnson.
Determined to end Veteran suicide, K9s For Warriors is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization that provides trained Service Dogs to military Veterans nationwide suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual trauma — at no financial cost to the Veteran. Backed by groundbreaking scientific research from the University of Arizona’s OHAIRE Lab, the program demonstrates how Service Dogs can help mitigate symptoms of PTSD while simultaneously restoring confidence and independence. Founded in 2011 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, K9s For Warriors is committed to saving lives at both ends of the leash by primarily rescuing dogs and pairing them with Veterans in need. The organization is also dedicated to raising awareness about Veterans’ mental health and driving policy-level reform. To date, K9s has paired more than 1,350 Veterans across all 50 states with life-changing Service Dogs and rescued more than 2,500 dogs.
