Paw-sitive spirit of service dogs on campus

Fun fact about me: dogs are my kryptonite. 

Whether it’s scrolling through endless TikToks of puppy content or begging friends to tell stories about their dogs to brighten my mood, my eyes unconsciously gravitate toward a furry fluff ball as soon as I hear a bark. But, there’s one problem: this makes me heart-wrenchingly miss my dog at home. 

My unrelentingly goofy labradoodle named Ginger is my best friend. I can’t decide if it’s the fact she dresses up in a pumpkin onesie for Halloween or that she has the biggest curly afro I’ve ever seen, but either way, my love for her is verbally indescribable. Even though there are weekly FaceTimes on the schedule between me and Ginger, a long-distance relationship prevents the hand-to-paw contact that I so desperately need. 

Kristin Kumagawa snuggles next to her service dog Mailie, who is a four-year-old golden retriever. MAYA BRAUNWARTH, Staff Photographer

Luckily, there are many wagging tails on campus making it just a little easier to be away from my four-legged buddy. Some dogs prancing around campus are with their Orange local owners, but many are loyally on duty as service animals for Chapman students. Not only do these pooches serve an important role in their handler’s needs, but they also tend to greet every single person on campus.

One of those recognizable faces is golden retriever Mailie, who according to owner Kristin Kumagawa, has been her companion for four years and never leaves her side. Whether it’s going to classes for her communication studies major, working at her job in Student Engagement or just playing fetch on Memorial Lawn, Mailie and Kristin come as a complete package. 

“We’re always attached at the hip. I wear a fanny pack, and her leash is attached to that,” Kumagawa. “She comes with me to work (and) to my classes, and she’s in a sorority with me. We pretty much go everywhere together.”  

Kumagawa, who is a junior at Chapman, said that Mailie was not intended to be a service dog. But, with the combination of Kumagawa’s auto-immune disorder and the stress of junior year of high school, Mailie began her training — with lots of treats and puppuccinos along the way. 

Mailie’s skill set includes responding to psychiatric tasks, blocking people from Kumagawa in large crowds and helping with panic and anxiety attacks. But, that never gets in the way of Mailie’s classic retriever personality; when she’s not by Kumagawa’s side, Maile can usually be spotted playing with her pacifier-like tennis ball, which she can catch mid-air by leaping through the sky like Snoopy the Flying Ace.

“I always tell her she is so golden and is a golden girl; she is a ray of sunshine,” Kumagawa said. “My favorite thing is that she is so pure. She is always happy and she doesn’t know anything but love, so that’s what she gives to everyone.”

When it comes to their favorite memories together, Kumagawa told The Panther there are too many to name. While Mailie waddling around the first time she put on boots or both of them flying on a plane together for the first time are toward the top of the list, the number one memory would be their trip to Disneyland together.

“We went on rides together for the first time,” Kumagawa said. “She went on The Little Mermaid and Pirates. That’s one of my favorite memories, because it was a prominent Chapman moment to go to Disney for the first time, and getting to bring her is really fun.”

Another service dog on campus that has had her fair share of goofball memories is the wide-eyed and curiosity-driven golden retriever Luca and her owner Dani Lindeman, a junior political science major. With an Instagram @theteenygolden with now 14.2 thousand followers, Lindeman said this platform allows her to connect with other service dog owners and even meet celebrities like Tom Holland. More importantly, this gives Luca a chance to let her personality shine.

Dani Lindeman poses next to her service dog Luca, who is a five-year-old golden retriever. MAYA BRAUNWARTH, Staff Photographer

“She loves zooming around, grabbing people’s socks and running around with them,” Lindeman said. “She is super huge on toys, she will jump on the couch and throw herself off; she is super rambunctious at home. A lot of people meet her and think she is the most serious dog in the world, but you take her vest off and she is insane. I adore that she has such an off-switch like that.”

Luca mainly assists Lindeman by picking up items from the ground, monitoring Lindeman’s seizures and being on cardiac alert, but she spends her downtime running around with Lindeman’s horse Skywalker. Luca also joined Lindeman in wearing caps and gowns for their high school graduation back in 2019.

“She was able to help me graduate, so walking to graduation with her was one of my favorite memories. I never thought I would be able to walk at graduation,” Lindeman said.

Another dynamic duo on campus is junior documentary and broadcast journalism major Dasha Levin and his service poodle Violet. With her one-and-a-half year-old energetic personality and sassy mannerisms, Violet, Levin and Violet’s red frisbee are inseparable.

“She is like my child,” Levin said, while feeding Violet water from a bottle like a baby. “I live alone, so having her be my best friend and my roommate makes me feel less alone,” Levin said. “Obviously, she is my buddy — that’s the best part about it. She’s somebody that’s always reliable, as crazy as she is.”

Levin said choosing a name for Violet was a no-brainer. His own nickname is Dash, from the Pixar movie “The Incredibles,” so he thought it was only fitting for his dog’s name to tie in to the theme. 

Even though Violet has spent most of her life amid the pandemic, Levin said her confidence has grown immensely on campus, and with her happy-camper attitude, socialization is her new favorite thing — besides sleeping right under Levin’s feet. 

Dasha Levin fondly cradles his service dog Violet, who is a year-and-a-half-old poodle. MAYA BRAUNWARTH, Staff Photographer

“All she has known is me walking around, throwing the ball and not being around too many strangers, but now she has a whole array of new dogs (to meet) every day,” Levin said. “Everybody walks up to her; she tackled a kid at Starbucks earlier today. This kid was allowing it, and she’s not gonna stop until you say stop. He was on his knees, on her level, and she just knocked him over. He thanked me and said he needed that.”

While the presence of dogs on campus animates being in college, Kumagawa said there are still misunderstandings surrounding the importance of a service dog, specifically when they are working. Whether it’s asking to pet the animal before doing so or reading up on the topic, Kumagawa hopes Mailie drooling over her ball or playing in the fountain in the Attallah Piazza will spark some conversation toward progress. 

“Having a service dog, you get a lot of questions,” Kumagawa said. “You have a lot of people wanting to know what she does, what I have and why I need a service dog. They have the idea that service dogs are all guide dogs, and that’s not the case. It may have been the case a while ago, but we are seeing more psychiatric service dogs and diabetic service dogs, and there are so many different reasons someone might have a service dog. I think the biggest thing I can hope for is that they gain more awareness.”