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McIntosh honors Vinny, the service dog of teacher and veteran Christopher Judy

Vinny was a Spinone Italiano breed, and was paired with Christopher Judy almost nine years ago through the Healing4Heroes Organization.  Photo submitted by Christopher Judy.
Vinny was a Spinone Italiano breed, and was paired with Christopher Judy almost nine years ago through the Healing4Heroes Organization. Photo submitted by Christopher Judy.
Christopher Judy

Vinny, a canine staff member of McIntosh High School, died on Oct. 21 after being diagnosed with heart and liver tumors. Vinny was  the service dog of social studies teacher and Marine veteran Christopher Judy. 

Judy and Vinny, a Spinone Italiano breed, found one another almost nine years ago through the Healing4Heroes Organization, which is dedicated to assisting military service members and veterans in leading a healthy lifestyle by connecting them with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant service dogs. Vinny also received additional training through Tails of Hope, which also specializes in training dogs for veterans. Vinny was partnered up with Judy as a guide dog, due to Judy’s lack of sight in his left eye.

Vinny in the social studies hallway wearing a football jersey during the 2022 Homecoming week. (Chelby Gambrel)

“He was able to come to school with me daily because he was my service dog. What was unique about [him] is whatever triggers or whatever things he was trained to pick up on me, he was able to pick up on students as well. So, not only was he just my service dog, but he also helped out students in the classroom with similar triggers that I had. [He] was kind of like a mascot within the classroom and throughout the school,” Judy said. 

Over the years, Vinny’s presence brought a lot of comfort to students around McIntosh, which was not only helpful to Judy, but also to students with various medical conditions. Vinny was a familiar face around the school and could be seen in the halls. 

“He’s had that dog for as long as I have known, and I know how much he loved that dog. Vinny was almost his trademark. You wouldn’t see him without Vinny,” Nick Heil (12) said.

Vinny’s death caught Judy and his students by surprise. Judy decided to inform his students about Vinny through an honest approach.

“Tuesday was pretty rough. The hardest part of it was the fact that [Vinny] was here all day Monday. Going through that and telling each class that he passed. One of the big things about dealing with grief and trauma is putting all of the information out there. I tried to answer as many questions as I could and told everyone that he had a cancerous tumor in both his heart and liver,” Judy said. 

One of his students, junior Jillian Cumbie, is a student in one of Judy’s classes.

“Tuesday we all found out that he had been put down due to a tumor in his heart and his lungs, and it was all very sudden. It really caught me off guard and like just the first thing that I thought was that I feel so bad for Mr. Judy because he cared so much about that dog and it just really made the whole day so much more dull. I’m just very sad,” Cumbie said.

A photograph of Christopher Judy’s tattoo dedicated to Vinny, the military and his family (Photo submitted by Christopher Judy)

Even students who don’t have Judy as a teacher still knew of Vinny. 

“Out of all the years I’ve been here, he’s always been standing outside the door with Mr. Judy. It is really weird not seeing him in the halls everyday,” Peyton Bigham (12) said.

Shortly after Vinny’s death, Judy got a tattoo dedicated to not only Vinny but also to the military and to his family on his left forearm, which was the side that Vinny walked on to guide him.

The tattoo was done in conformity with maritime traditions. The tattoo includes a heart made by his two daughters, an EK Commando knife, which is a dagger only those in specialized units of the military can purchase. In the center is Vinny’s pawprint as a way for Judy to commemorate his service dog and friend.

The heart and dagger symbolize life and death, and Vinny was the balance of those two for me. He was, and still is, a constant reminder to fight for what I love. That is a constant reminder not to let my mental health get out of check,” Judy said. 

Additional coverage by Holly Rife and Leland Hawkins

 

 

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About the Contributor
Yasemin Kalpakci
Yasemin Kalpakci, Features Editor
Yasemin Kalpakci is a senior at McIntosh High School and currently serves as the Features Editor for the McIntosh Trail. She joined the Trail staff in early 2024 and was part of the staff that won the SNO Distinguished Site Award in both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.  In addition to her journalism accomplishments, Kalpakci has also achieved success in other areas. She won a nation-wide best of SNO award for her story, “McIntosh honors Vinny, the service dog of teacher and veteran Christopher Judy.” Kalpakci also won an All-Georgia award for her Critical Review, “Opinion: ‘I was a bad girl’ but was she?” and a Superior in Health/Medical Reporting with, “SOS: ending the stigma around finding help.” In addition to her journalism accomplishments, Kalpakci has also achieved success in other areas. Her art has been published on the board of education in the 2023-2024 school year.  Kalpakci has been involved in the Beta Club since elementary school and is an active volunteer at animal shelters and various school activities. She was instrumental in creating her old school’s World Food Club, promoting cultural exchange through food.  Outside of school, Kalpakci enjoys listening to Lana Del Rey, reading AO3, binge-watching Gilmore Girls, and spending hours on Pinterest. Like many high school students, she’s uncertain about her future plans but hopes to figure it out soon.
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