TORONTO

You’ve likely heard of service dogs for the blind, but what about providing them to those who are clinically anxious?

Devon MacPherson graduated from York University Tuesday with Barkley, her beloved poodle, at her side. The dog even wore a matching gown.

Barkley was there to help MacPherson cope with her generalized anxiety disorder.

The Canadian Mental Health Association defines the disorder as “excessive worry around a number of everyday problems.” It often manifests itself as “intense anxiety over a minor concern.”

A whopping 25% of Canadians will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder in their lifetime, according to Anxiety Disorders Canada.

MacPherson says she began to feel something amiss after dropping out of Nipissing University a few years ago.

After a few panic attacks, she saw a doctor who diagnosed her anxiety. It was around this time, more than three years ago, that she met Barkley.

She largely credits her canine and sympathetic family and friends for helping her turn around.

“I’m a completely different person and I look at the world differently. It’s a night and day difference,” MacPherson said.

She enrolled in York’s individualized studies program, which she describes as “build your own degree.”

MacPherson’s program incorporated elements of children’s studies, women’s studies, environmental science and animal studies.

“It’s structured but it has quite a bit of flexibility,” said MacPherson, who wrote an undergraduate thesis on service dogs and mental health.

She returns to York this fall to continue her research for a master’s degree in critical disability studies.