Service Dog’s ‘Yearbook’ Picture Goes Viral

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
File this under the best yearbook picture ever. A service dog is recognized for his time in class with the most adorable photo we’ve ever seen.


For high school seniors, the release of the yearbook signifies the end of the year is near, and it’s time to get all the signatures one can. When 18-year-old Diana Bloom from Stafford, Virginia, looked through her new yearbook, she happened upon the most unique ‘student’ she’d seen. As it seems, dogs are not the typical picture one sees in a school yearbook!

Bloom says that she saw the service dog of one of her classmates and thought it was adorable. Knowing that some of her classmates may not have seen the yearbook page yet, she took a picture and tweeted it.


Related: Washington Supreme Court Rules in Favor Of Girl and Her Service Dog


Though she knew it was special, she didn’t expect the picture to go viral like it has, and said she was so glad they put classmate Andrew Schalk’s service dog, Alpha in with the rest of his class. Andrew is a junior at Stafford High School and rides the bus with Diana, though Diana said they don’t have any classes together.


Andrew has Type 1 Diabetes, and Alpha’s very important service to him is to alert Andrew when his blood sugar is too high or low. Andrew says that Alpha knows 20 to 40 minutes before his blood sugar actually is high or low because of his sense of smell, and he alerts him in time to let Andrew know to adjust his insulin.

Related: Service Dog Denied Entry into Elementary School Heads to Supreme Court


According to Andrew, Alpha has saved his life many times because he’ll wake Andrew up in the middle of the night if his sugars are too low. Alpha has been accompanying Andrew to school since last year and goes to all of Andrew’s classes with him. Andrew said it only made sense to see if Alpha could also be included in the yearbook, and the yearbook staff was behind it 100 percent.

Alpha is such an integral part of Andrew’s school that he even got his own student ID. Andrew says that people love seeing him with Alpha in school, and he makes Andrew’s disability a positive experience for school and for life. In fact, Andrew says that Alpha turns diabetes into a blessing instead of a negative in his life.


Is someone cutting onions?

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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