Grad gives credit to service dog
Mount Royal valedictorian says helper animal ‘ gave me life back’
After being diagnosed with a debilitating illness, Alyssa Denis was told she would never be able to return to school or work and likely wouldn’t live past her 25th birthday.
For years, Denis believed those things, shutting herself in, bedridden while constantly battling chronic pain.
Then she met Luna, a black lab with the ability to open doors, fetch laundry, and win hearts.
“She changed my life. She gave me my life back,” said Denis, now 33.
On Thursday, the Calgary woman proudly crossed the stage at Mount Royal University to accept her disability studies diploma and give the valedictorian’s speech for the Health and Community Studies Faculty’s graduating class.
Nine- year- old Luna sat in the bleachers with Denis’s parents, while Denis’s new service dog, two- year- old yellow lab Moxie, stood by her side in a custom cap and gown.
Denis said going back to school, let alone graduating with a 3.89 GPA, would have been a distant dream if it weren’t for the dogs.
“I never thought this day would come,” she said.
She’s sharing her experiences to encourage others to never give up despite life’s obstacles, but also to raise awareness of the essential work service dogs do.
Denis’s story started in 2001. She was healthy and training to be a paramedic.
But one day, she woke up coughing up blood and was rushed to hospital. Her limbs felt weak.
Following a battery of tests, Denis received a devastating diagnosis: she had lupus, a disease of the immune system.
Doctors prescribed chemotherapy, steroids, different drugs to keep her alive.
She became depressed and slept the days away. She came close to “losing the battle.”
Then she met a man in a wheelchair with a service dog who told her how the canine had enhanced his life.
After selling her parents on the idea, she sent an application to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides and crossed her fingers. Then Luna arrived.
“When you have a service dog, you have to take your dog outside, get up and do stuff. From that, it started to get me out of the house,” Denis said.
The walks helped Denis meet other dog owners, regain her stamina and improve her mobility. Eventually, she went from a wheelchair to a walker to crutches to get around. She also started volunteering.
With her new- found energy, Denis convinced doctors to allow her to attend Mount Royal University. Luna sat through every class.
A year ago, Denis got a new dog, Moxie, after Luna retired. Both are a big part of her life, with Luna living at her parents’ home.
“Moxie is maintaining Luna’s hard work,” Denis said.
“The girls, they fetch things for you, even a dime or a credit card off the floor. It’s incredible.”
Unfortunately, Denis “hit a speed bump” when she fell and hit her head Sunday, and ended up in hospital.
She said Moxie came to the rescue once again, barking to alert neighbours and pushing a stuffed toy under Denis’s head.
For now, Denis is back in a wheelchair. But she didn’t let her setback stop her from attending graduation, nor will she let her illness hinder her from chasing her dreams.
She will continue her studies at the University of Calgary and keep working at Between Friends, a charitable organization that provides social and recreational opportunities to people with disabilities.
None of this would’ve been possible without Luna and Moxie.
“They got me living an independent and happy life,” she said. “They have given me a chance to live a normal life.”
When you have a service dog, you have to take your dog outside, get up and do stuff. From that, it started to get me out of the house.