Brooks grew up in Washington State, extremely active in the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest: playing football, camping, hiking, fishing and hunting.

During a trip to the Columbia River with friends in 2016, Brooks dove from a boat, unaware that the dam had released excessive amounts of water during the week, creating a shallow canal in the sand of the riverbed invisible from above.

The dive caused a spinal cord injury, leaving Brooks with quadriplegia and loss of use of his hands. Brooks still leads a very active lifestyle from his electric wheelchair, with an expertly trained service dog by his side.

After meeting a Canine Companions graduate and seeing the tasks the dog performed for his handler, Brooks says he “felt something he had lost.” This encounter was the push Brooks needed to apply for a service dog to increase his independence. Canine Companions was the obvious choice.

Brooks was matched, free of charge, with Service Dog Whitley. Whitley is expertly trained to pick up dropped items, open and close doors and drawers, turn on and off lights and has even learned five new tasks to better help Brooks.

“Picking up dropped items is the biggest thing she does, and she gets so excited when she gets to do it. Her tail is always wagging,” Brooks shares. “When we’re out in public, she pushes all the automatic push plates to help me easily get into buildings.”

Brooks feels safe and secure with Whitley by his side. “I don’t have to rely on other people to help. I’m never worried about dropping my phone or wallet in public.” He continues, “Life with Whitley has so far exceeded my expectations of what I thought it could be.”