Henderson, NV – Graduating from high school has its perks, including putting on ceremonial caps and gowns and posing for portraits in the school yearbook.
But this year, one participant in the senior section of the Liberty High School yearbook in Henderson, Nevada, was not wearing traditional trappings. In fact, she was not even human.
Therapy Dog Recognition
Who’s that girl? It’s Champion Smilin Dals Pretty in Pink, “Molly,” a 9 1/2-year-old Dalmatian. The certified therapy dog is not graduating from high school anytime soon, but she has earned a place of honor in the Liberty yearbook. For the past five years, Molly and her owner, Paul Beaton of Las Vegas, have visited two special education classes of Liberty students on the autism spectrum.
“When someone showed me the yearbook with Molly’s picture, I felt humbled,” Beaton says. “We crashed the senior section, and I wasn’t expecting that.”
The treasured annual held other surprises for Beaton. Molly and 9-year-old Tex, a Heelerand Rat Terrier mix and another therapy dog who often teams with the Dalmatian at the school, dominate the centerfold. The two-page spread splashes two dozen images of the kids alongside the dog.
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