Can we get a round of a-paws for this dynamic duo?
On Oct. 9, Alison Appleby, a 17-year-old girl from Sherman, Tex., won the Miss Dallas Teen USA 2022 pageant with her service dog in training, Brady, by her side. And in addition to Alison receiving a crown, the golden retriever did too!
This marked the first time the teen, who has epilepsy, had even entered a pageant. "Me? A princess? SHUT UP!" Alison wrote on Instagram after her victory. "Seriously though, I'm still in shock. I am officially Miss Dallas Teen 2022. I attended with the intentions of having fun and advocating for other girls with disabilities. Now I am blessed to have many more opportunities to do so!"
She continued, "When I signed up for this pageant, a random stranger told me 'you cant do that, you have a service dog. Pageant girls don't have disabilities!' Well, here we are!"
According to her local TV station KTEN, the pageant winner was diagnosed with epilepsy two years ago and Brady assists by alerting her to oncoming seizures. He is currently training to be able to fetch her medication.
Beth Appleby, Alison's mother, told the station she "wasn't nervous" about her daughter entering the pageant "because she has Brady, who takes good care of her."
And both the new Miss Dallas Teen 2022 and her pup will report for pageant duty again in May when the two are set to head to Houston, where Alison will compete in the Miss Texas Teen USA 2023 competition.