WACO, Texas –– When Amy Jones received her law degree from Baylor University, her playful service dog Skeeter got the same honor.
As Jones got her juris doctor degree on Saturday, Skeeter received an honorary law degree.
"Amy has busted through brick walls, and Skeeter has been faithfully by her side every step of the way," law school Dean Brad Toben said. "Skeeter has become a part of our community and part of our family here at the law school."
Jones has used a wheelchair since a 2002 skiing accident left her a quadriplegic. Two years after the accident, she was paired with Skeeter, a black Labrador retriever.
Born and raised in Alaska, Jones had attended California State University at Chico. After months of rehabilitation and with Skeeter's help, Jones returned to school and received her undergraduate degree in construction management in 2005.
Fellow Baylor law graduate Jolie McCuiston of Lubbock said "everyone loves playing with Skeeter, but Skeeter always knows when he's working."
McCuiston said Skeeter will occasionally add a growl to a professor's lecture for added emphasis.
"He always said what we couldn't say," McCuiston she told the Waco Tribune-Herald in Sunday editions.
