After sustaining a brain injury while a student at BYU, the primary thing that was able to help Cindy Wilmshurst get back on her feet was her service dog Keilly.

Keilly has been there for Wilmshurst every day since she got her.

“One of the ways she helps me most is that she helps me to get going for the day,” Wilmshurst said. “She helps me to stay alert when I’m out and about, and she gives me confidence to go out into the world, especially when I’m not feeling well.”

Wilmhurst said she just wants to give something back to Keilly for helping her every day.

Natural Balance Pet Foods is putting on a contest to find the world’s most amazing dog. The winner of this contest and their family will get a flight to Pasadena, Calif., and have a seat on the Tournament of Roses Parade Float. The winning dog will also receive free Natural Balance Dog Food for a year. Keilly has been entered into this competition under the name of The Angel Dog.

“The reason I entered Keilly as The Angel Dog is because she truly has been the best thing in my life that I have ever had or done,” Wilmshurst said. “There are some little neighbor kids who come by nearly every day to visit with Keilly. When one little boy was sitting and petting her, he looked up and asked me, ‘Is she an angel dog?’ And I said, ‘Yes, she is an angel dog.’ When you meet her, you can tell she is just really special. She loves people and she looks out for me.”

Wilmshurst explained after the injury, life as she knew it was not the same and Keilly has helped her cope.

“As a person with a disability, she helps me to be braver in the world because she gives me confidence to have her there with me,” Wilmshurst said. “I’m not as active and so sometimes I might be hesitant to try something new or go somewhere new but having Keilly with me makes everything OK.”

Another thing that Keilly is good at is making friends.  Wilmshurst says that every other week she and Keilly go to an assisted living home to visit people who have Alzheimers and dementia. 

“I take Keilly around and the people get to know her and share in her,” Wilmshurst said. “She is nonthreatening and loving. Sometimes when they have Alzheimers they are not as alert or awake. They will wake up to Keilly and it gives them a moment to connect with the world through her.”

Wilmhurst said that while her life is different now and she has limitations she never used to have, she also has had many opportunities and compensatory blessings.

“Keilly is one of them; she is the best part of my world.” Wilmhurst said. “It would mean so much to me if Keilly won this competition because she has done so much.”

To vote for Keilly, go to naturalbalanceinc.com. Click on the yellow ad, click view entries, and vote for The Angel Dog.