CREST HILL – Carillon Lakes resident Nancy Yendrejcyzk keenly remembers her service dog-in-training, Waylon, sensing her daughter’s stress and snuggling up next to her.

That’s when she started to feel like Waylon could help people who have psychological disorders, such as depression.

“He can really sense stress,” Yendrejcyzk said. “I’m thinking he could help those with post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Yendrejcyzk signed up as a “puppy raiser,” and received Waylon – now 18 months old – as a 6-month-old pup on Dec. 1, 2014.

Waylon is an ambassador dog for Mokena-based nonprofit Heartland Service Dogs. But he has become a celebrity at Carillon Lakes, a retirement community in Crest Hill.

“Everybody knows Waylon,” Yendrejcyzk said, adding that she takes him many places to get accustomed to people. “The story group people love to see him. And he loves greeting people at [Bingo].”

But Thursday night, those residents got to see five other furry friends join Waylon in showing off their obedience and skills.

Waylon performed his feature trick Thursday night, picking up a bag by himself and handing it to different people. He also endured a slippery floor as he obeyed commands to stay sitting and lay down for an extended time, and other useful orders.

Other service dogs turned on and off light switches, and detected blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.

“A lot of kids are Type 1 diabetics and parents are paralyzed with fear [about their kids’ sugar levels dropping],” Heartland Director Linda Fox said.

Heartland was started by Fox and her husband in 2011. The organization is volunteer-run and provides specially trained dogs for those with mobility, hearing, diabetic and PTSD challenges. Heartland is always looking for more volunteers and donations, Fox said.

Yendrejcyzk said eventually Waylon’s training will be complete, and he’ll partner with an individual in need.

“It will be bittersweet,” Yendrejcyzk said. “The hardest part of all this is realizing that I’m just training him and he’ll go to someone else. But that’s why we do this.”