Puppy named after Kelsee Lainhart placed into school

Placed in Cincinnati-area school

(FAIRFIELD, OH.) –  A puppy that was named in honor of Kelsee Lainhart will now help students. 

Lainhart is an East Central graduate and United States Marine who was wounded during the Kabul bombings in August of 2021. 

A month after she was wounded, a litter of dogs were born at Brunsman Country Doodles in Sunman. 

7-year-old Henry Brunsman asked his parents if one of the dogs could be named after Lainhart. 

The puppy named “Kelsee” was then donated to the non-profiit organization Circle Tail, which trains dogs to be utilized as service animals. 

The dog has just graduated from its training after being there for more than two years. 

“Kelsee” has earned the designation of “Facility Dog” and has been placed at Fairfield North Elementary in Ohio. 

“This means so much to my husband, Ben, and I. This is what we wanted for our program, to see our dogs go out and do good things,” said Stevie Brunsman. 

She added that there is an extra honor by who the dog represents. 

“Kelsee Lainhart has made a tremendous impact on our area and what started as an idea from our son, has truly blossomed into another way to honor Lainhart while making an impact on kids for many years to come,” she said. 

Brunsman says she would like to see more local schools consider service dog programs. One local school district that has permanent service dogs is Franklin County