2024 FFA Speaking Contest Winner’s Speech Comfort Through Canines By Bennett Gatlin | California, MO FFA Chapter
Dorothy Harrison Eustes visited a second school that opened in 1923 and became determined to bring the same concept back to America. In 1927, a blind veteran named Morris Frank who was struggling with his own lack of independence reached out to Eustes to aid in her endeavors. The result of their work was The Seeing Eye. The Seeing Eye was the first American guide dog school and is the oldest still in existence (WHERE DID SERVICE DOGS COME FROM? A BRIEF HISTORY, 2021). Dogs were not only used for those who were visually impaired, but they also started being used for those with other disabilities. Today, the need for service dogs continues to grow, as they are used for epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy, and more to aid students in school environments (How Service Dogs Help the Disabled - ECAD Service Dogs, n.d.). For example, Vincent is an elementary student with a disability that causes seizures. His mother, Francesca, applied for a service dog to aid Vincent in his day-to-day life. Thankfully, their application was successful and they gained a new family member, Acorn, a beautiful golden retriever. Francesca was quoted saying, “It was like a missing piece of our family was finally home..” Whether it be in school or at home, Acorn was able to provide life-saving assistance to Vincent. Acorn was able to alert
a seizure four hours in advance within only the first six months of her being home. This not only gave Francesca time to prepare but also his teachers. Teachers were alerted by Acorn and were then able to handle Vincent’s seizures with much more care than before (4 Paws For Ability, n.d.). Although Acorn wasn’t used specifically for school, I believe that more dogs should be. My mother is a special education teacher at my high school, so I know how difficult it can be for students with disabilities to concentrate or participate in school. Having school-assigned service and therapy dogs would provide relaxation for students who may act out, life-saving assistance for students with frequent seizures, and so much more. As someone who has spent my entire life around students with disabilities--elementary, middle, and high school--I know how beneficial it would be to have more dogs in our schools. Not only do I know how beneficial these dogs would be in school, but I also know how beneficial they would be in hospitals. Therapy dogs are often used in hospitals to help patients cope with the hospital environment. Grayden was born dead due to complications at birth. He was resuscitated; however, it caused developmental issues for him. As if things weren’t bad enough, when Grayden was a year old he was admitted to the ICU because his kidneys began to fail. Eventually, he was diagnosed
G rayden was born unresponsive and essentially dead. Now as a sixth grader, he’s just a little bit shorter than everyone else. However, this shouldn’t discredit the number of setbacks he had as a child both mentally and physically. He went through numerous different types of therapies and mood- boosting activities while he was in the hospital, but the one that made the biggest impact was the therapy dog. Since he was in the hospital for so long, they used a dog to make him feel better and cope with the hospital environment. Therapy dogs have been transforming lives for decades and will continue to play an important role in the future of the pet industry. Today I will share with you the impact of therapy dogs in our daily lives and the important role pet breeders play in supplying these essential animals to the ones that need them the most. After WWI, many veterans came home blind from mustard gas, motivating the first use of service dogs. The first guide dog school opened in Germany in 1916. An American woman by the name of
Missouri Pet Breeders Association | Page 21
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