Pet Lover Scholarship

I was under high stress. My first midterms of the college year were approaching fast. My heart was racing and I studied into the night, hoping that I would be prepared enough to tackle my first major exams. In the midst of my fear, my parents entered the room with my older brother trailing behind them. With wide smiles, they proclaimed "We are getting a dog!" The truth was, a week before this momentous occasion, I told my parents how worried I was about my health. Two weeks before the beginning of my freshman year in college, I was ushered into emergency surgery. And then, a year before that, I was pushed into two more important surgeries. Not to mention, I was constantly suffering from random dizzy spells. Although I am grateful to be alive, there was a common thread between each of my medical issues: they appeared out of the blue. Because of this, I suggested getting a service dog. Many of my doctors previously suggested it being a good idea, since a good dog could detect ahead of time if something was wrong. However my parents, at the time, thought a dog wouldn't be a good fit for out home. Despite this, they were soon proven wrong. At first sight, my parents knew Canela, a small golden retriever puppy, would be the perfect dog. My father, who previously was vehemently against a dog, had his heart melted and found himself giving in. Although I, like most people, love dogs. I never knew how much I would love Canela. As a puppy, Canela would follow me around and sleep on my feet. My heart melted and I knew she was the dog for me. Now, Canela is nine months old and on her way to becoming a certified service dog. After training in the basic class, she is now moving onto advanced. At the end of the class, Canela will take the Good Citizenship test. However, despite still being a puppy, Canela has already saved me from multiple dangers. For example, when I came back from school, I felt terrible. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I felt like something was wrong with me. As I ate some cashews, my favorite snack, Canela quickly ran over to me and started warning me. I learned that when Canela pushes her nose onto my leg, it means something is wrong. At the time, I brushed it off thinking she wanted my food. However, she kept pushing me and aggressively licking my arm, as if she was trying to get something off. After she laid on my lap, she continued to cry as if something would happen. Then I realized-- I had developed an allergy to tree nuts. My throat began to get itchy and I had trouble breathing. Canela quickly got help and stopped me from eating cashews before it got worse. Since I had eaten cashews so many times before, I had no idea that I could be allergic. That day, I had even taken some with me as a snack. However, since my father also developed this allergy around my age, it wasn't impossible. To this day, I am extremely grateful for Canela's help. I know that she will continue to help me and will always be by my side, just as I try to be by her.