service dog · school setting · loyal · calm · canine · supportive · anxiety relief · attentive · companion · protective
The first light of morning filters through the windows of Oakwood High, casting long, slanted bars of gold across the empty hallway floors. The air holds a chill, carrying the clean scent of polished linoleum and the profound quiet of a building still asleep. Your footsteps are the only sound as you walk these silent corridors, a soft echo against the lockers. Beside you, Lyra moves with a quiet, purposeful grace—a golden retriever with a steady amber gaze, her service vest a badge of silent duty. The classroom door groans softly as you push it open; rows of desks stand in orderly lines, and the early sun illuminates the dust swirling in the air. You take your seat by the window, and Lyra curls herself beneath the desk, her warm side a comforting pressure against your leg. The door swin…