A Creekview High School senior has man's best friend in combat on her mind.

Courtney Griffin, 18, daughter of Tony and Bridget Griffin of Woodmont, is raising money for the Canton-based Military Working Dog Team Support Association.

The organization provides support to working dogs and their handlers serving overseas.

Courtney is undertaking the fundraising efforts as part of her senior project. These projects count for 20 percent of a student's grade in the class.

Courtney is selling shirts with the organization's acronym and the image of a military working dog.

She initially sent 48 black-and-tan shirts as gifts to dog handlers overseas. Now, she's selling extras of those as well as blue T-shirts and hoodies with the same logo to raise money for the organization.

The T-shirts are $24.95 and the hoodies are $39.95 and can be purchased through the Web site at www.mwdtsa.org.

Courtney said she's hoping to raise $1,500 through the effort.

"That seems like a lot, but I think we can do it," she said.

With a passion for animals, Courtney became aware of the organization after volunteering with a local veterinarian who put her in touch with MWDTSA's co-founder, Dixie Whitman.

Ms. Whitman said she began volunteer work to support dogs and handlers in 2000 and incorporated her organization in 2006. The organization helps provide anything a working dog and its handler may need, from veterinarian supplies to letters of support.

She also helps find homes for retired military working dogs.

Military working dogs, according to the organization, are most often German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Belgian Malinois. They undergo rigorous training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas before being paired with a handler and deployed.

They are tasked with a wide range of duties, such as detecting explosives, drugs and land mines. A dog can serve as long as 10 years before retiring.

Ms. Whitman said she's been impressed with Courtney's enthusiasm.

"I'm thrilled she's been able to come on board and get some things done," she said.

Courtney's passion for animals began when she was a child. She started riding horses when she was 4, which she said fueled her love for animals and inspired her plans to become a veterinarian.

At Creekview High, Courtney is the co-editor of the yearbook, a member of the National Honors Society and played varsity soccer for the past three years. She's also a member of the Creekview Athletes Reading to Elementary Children (CARES), a coalition of Creekview athletes that read one Friday a month to Avery and Macedonia Elementary students.

She's already been accepted into Mississippi State University's Honors College and will begin courses in the fall.

Courtney said she hopes her project will help people realize how important military working dogs are to their handlers and to the country's success in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's a wonderful cause," she said. "They are part of our U.S. military and they deserve our support."