A photo of a teen's beloved service dog was included alongside student headshots in his school's annual yearbook.
Sixteen-year-old Andrew "AJ" Schalk started bringing Alpha to Stafford High School in Virginia because the dog can detect when Schalk's blood sugar is too low or too high and alert the teen by giving his paw.
“The amazing thing about Alpha is that he knows 20 to 40 minutes before my blood sugar actually does go low or high due to his amazing sense of smell,” Schalk told BuzzFeed. “He has saved my life multiple times already.”
Schalk said Alpha has gotten a following since he started coming to school, and that many students are happy to see the dog every day.
“Alpha brightens the school atmosphere for all of the students — not just me,” Schalk told The Free Lance-Star, adding that he felt Alpha turned his disability into a positive experience for him.
Alpha also has his own school ID.
Yearbook staffer Grace Fuller gave Alpha a small profile in last year’s yearbook, The Free Lance-Star reported, but this year, she found a headshot and knew it should be included. A student retweeted the photo and it was shared thousands of times.
Twitter users loved the idea and praised the yearbook for including the service dog.
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