I always hated school picture day. Almost as much as I hated seeing how the pictures turned out a few weeks later. Yes, that’s because I’m a proud member of the majority who exclusively took terrible school photographs through 12th grade.
A good-looking service dog named Tosha from Gravette, Arkansas definitely has me beat there. Tosha took an outstanding school picture. So outstanding it went viral.
She may be less of a student and more of a student’s helper, but Tosha took her annual photograph just like everyone else attending 5th grade that day. On October 30th, the Gravette Upper Elementary School’s Facebook page shared Tosha’s very professional school picture, blue background and everything.
She’s perfectly centered and she didn’t even blink. What a pro!
The photo’s caption explained why Tosha’s school picture will appear in the yearbook alongside the students.
“This is Tosha – she is the Certified Service Dog for one of our 5th Grade students with seizures. She sat so nicely for her very first school pictures last week!! We are proud of how well she has acclimated to the culture here at GUE…and how well our students have welcomed her into our family.”
That lucky 5th grade handler is a boy named Treyton Hudson.
Treyton suffers from a rare epileptic disorder. Attending school was difficult for him at times, and medications didn’t seem to be working, his mother Jessica Burchette told WKRN.
She shared that the Gravette community pitched in to raise over $15,000 in a single night to purchase a service dog for him. Every class at the school donated baskets for a silent auction.
Having Tosha with him at school has completely changed Treyton’s life. She alerts adults to his seizures and protects him from harm.
“If he is actively seizing, she crawls under his head to protect him, but she can sense when he’s not acting right.”
Treyton’s mother says he’s gained confidence with Tosha by his side, and his teachers say she’s perfectly behaved in class. Trenton is just glad to be attending school at all.
“I just like having her around because I feel like I’m normal…I’m a normal kid.”
November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and the 14th also happens to be Treyton’s birthday. Gravette Upper Elementary’s staff and students plan to wear purple that day to spread awareness.
I bet Tosha photographs amazingly in purple too.
Featured Image: @GravetteUpperElementary/Facebook
H/T: WKRN.com
Toledo, United States.
