Alison Appleby spent a Sunday earlier this month beating out six other contestants to earn the 2022 Miss Dallas Teen title alongside her service dog in training, Brady.
Brady joined the Applebys last summer after Alison was diagnosed with epilepsy. Brady helps to keep track of Alison’s stress and blood sugar. So when Alison won and donned her tiara, Brady received a victory crown as well!
“They brought him a crown, which was hilarious,” Alison told Daily Paws. “That was the best thing ever. He hated it, but I thought it was adorable.”
Alison decided to enter the pageant to prove a point.
A few weeks before the pageant, Alison was chatting with a girl who had entered the Miss Dallas pageant, similar to Miss Dallas Teen. Alison, with Brady by her side, mentioned that she was interested in entering a pageant someday, when an unknown woman sitting at their table said, “You can’t do that ’cause you’re disabled,” Alison remembers her saying.
At that point, the other girl urged Alison to sign up for Miss Dallas Teen.
Determined, she said, “I signed up right there. Had no idea what I was doing.”
However, Allison was determined to prove that her disability wouldn’t stop her from competing and enjoying herself.
So, approximately three weeks later, the pageant day arrived. Alison picked up her dresses and made her way to Richardson, Texas. As usual, Brady was along for the ride as well.
Brady is being trained to sense when Alison is unwell. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder most known for causing seizures, so Brady’s job is to warn Alison if he senses that one is coming. Being the amazing animal that he is, Brady is able to monitor her blood sugar and stress levels—which can trigger seizures when they’re out of whack.
Brady is also learning how to retrieve a snack from her bag. He also can sense if Allison is stressed and in an attempt to relieve her stress, he’ll sit on top of her, applying deep-pressure therapy that is able to regulate her heart rate.
Initially, Alison had planned to appear on stage without Brady while she left him with a handler close by. Brady would have none of that as he sensed Alison was stressed and ran to stand by her.
“We were like, ‘OK, well that plan isn’t going to work. He has to be next to me the whole time,'” Alison says.
And Brady was … kind of thriving. He followed Alison during all the changes and snuck in a few naps when he could, including under Alison’s gown and on stage when she was standing still. He even hammed it up a bit.
Alison speaking of Brady during the event said, “At one point he winked at the judges, which killed everyone. I swear that sealed the deal for them.”
Not expecting to win, Alison was shocked when she heard her name announced as the winner. When she celebrated with the rest of the contestants, Brady, feeling the excitement, jumped up and down as well.
“He was definitely being a puppy in that moment,” Alison says. “Through the whole pageant, he was just a little pageant pup. It was adorable. He loved every ounce of it.”
Alison more than proved her point – fully refuting the ill-advised comment from the woman. She and Brady will compete in the statewide pageant this coming May.
“It’s not your illness,” Alison said. “It’s just what you put your mind to.”
