Service Dog Has Perfect Attendance Record With Diabetic Teen So School Features Him In Yearbook
Apr 24, 2019 by apost team
A photo found in the yearbook at Falmouth, Virginia's Stafford High School has gone viral. But the picture is not of a student. Instead, the viral photo is of a service dog owned by one of the students.
Andrew Schalk suffers from Type 1 diabetes. He needs his service dog, Alpha, near him at all times. Alpha is entrusted with alerting Andrew of low and high blood sugar levels. Alpha excels at his job and has saved Andrew from danger many times in the past.
apost.com
Alpha is a favorite of students and faculty alike. He has his own ID card and a photo of the dog was taken for the school yearbook. It was Andrew's idea for a photo of Alpha to be included in the yearbook and school administrators obliged.
A classmate of Andrew, Diana Bloom, noticed the photo of Alpha when she received her yearbook. She decided to share the photo on social media.
This is not the first school yearbook to include a photo of a service dog. A Lake Charles, Louisiana elementary school included the service dog rowdy in its yearbook. In fact, Rowdy was included in the school's yearbook for three consecutive years.
School photographer Jill Engel posted behind the scenes photos to social media of her and Rowdy together on the day his yearbook photo was taken. Many comments were left mentioning the cute cuddliness of Rowdy.
Rowdy is the service dog of a student named Daegan. The dog is an important part of Daegan's class and the other students have learned first-hand how important service dogs are to the people they help.
Both Rowdy and Alpha have gained the attention of the internet community due to their cuteness but their ultimate mission is much more important. They support the efforts of children who battle illnesses to live as normal a life as possible.
It would be a great thing to see more service dogs who help children be included in school yearbooks. Honoring these dogs in this way shows appreciation for their efforts and reminds the public of the importance of the jobs these dogs perform.
Watch the video of sweet Alpha below:
Did you smile at the yearbook photos of the two dogs? Were you already aware of the amazing jobs being performed by dogs like Alpha and Rowdy? Pass this this article to everyone you know who loves animals! They will be amazed at the work service dogs do with sick children.