A boy is surprised by the overwhelming response to his service dog appearing in his school yearbook.
A 14-year-old boy said he’s taken aback by all the attention he’s getting after being photographed next to his trusty service dog in his school yearbook.
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“It meant a lot to me,” the seventh grader, Seph Ware, told InsideEdition.com. “I thought, ‘Wow, they actually feel like she’s part of the school.”
Seph, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, has had his dog, Presley, by his side for the last three-and-a-half years.
“We’re inseparable,” said Seph, adding, “except for when I’m playing Xbox.”
Seph and Presley (Courtesy Mallori Ware)
Seph’s muscular dystrophy causes muscle weakness, and Presley helps his owner with daily chores. “She can pick up pencils, open drawers, push open doors, push buttons,” he said.
Presley also travels to school with him at Good Hope Middle School in West Monroe, Louisiana, and is the school’s first service dog.
When Seph posed for a yearbook photo, a yearbook sponsor made a special request. “They asked if they could take Presley’s picture, and I said sure,” he said.
“She’s very special to me in my life,” he added.
Seph and Presley (Courtesy Mallori Ware)
Presley is a big part of the school’s culture. “They all know her,” he said. “The girls were like, ‘That’s so cute!’”
He forgot to tell his family about the shot, and soon after the yearbook was given out last week, a parent posted Seph’s and his dog’s photos on Facebook. The post has over 22,000 likes.
Seph and Presley (Courtesy Mallori Ware)
Soon, word got around to Seph’s family members, who were delighted by the photos and the overwhelming response to them.
“We were all really shocked. We were really excited!” his sister, Mallori Ware, told InsideEdition.com.
“Seph is still walking, but is reaching a point where we know that soon, he will probably not be able to walk anymore,” she said. “Presley is really helping him live a more normal life.”
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