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Kellsey & Jasper the Service Dog Get Picture-Perfect Surprise

It looks like your typical classroom picture, but if you look a close, you’ll see a dog in a bow tie with the name “Jasper McGuire” underneath...

It looks like your typical classroom picture, but if you look a close, you'll see a dog in a bow tie with the name "Jasper McGuire" underneath.

"On 'Picture Day,' he got his picture taken," said Kellsey McGuire, Jasper's Owner. "He was supposed to stay on the red line and he did... except he's not very good at smiling."

Kellsey and Jasper, a shelter dog turned service dog, are in Mrs. Moss' 3rd Grade Class at Jordan Catholic School in Rock Island. The duo transferred to the school in March 2014 after disputes over Jasper at Kellsey's previous school in the Sherrard School District.

Jasper follows Kellsey everywhere. The three-year-old black lab is on the job every single moment of every single day, keeping a close eye on her in case she has an epileptic seizure. He senses what humans can't.

"If I'm taking a test and I think I need to drop my pencil then he paces back and forth," explained Kellsey.

"His job is to watch Kellsey throughout the day in case she's having slight little focal seizures and that's what he does and that's why he lays right next to her desk and he's a true companion to her," added Joan Leonard, Principal at Jordan Catholic School.

"He watches her," said Lucy Nonnenmann, Kellsey's Friend. "We read together sometimes. He just sits there and lays."

Kellsey's Mom, Brandi, says Jasper's composite picture was a surprise. She noticed it when she picked Kellsey up from school on Wednesday, January 28th.

"I looked at it and the first thing I saw was Jasper's picture," she laughed. "He was just standing up so proud and it just warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes just to know how wonderful the Jordan Community has been with Jasper."

"For Kellsey and Jasper and the family, we've very much bonded with them and they with us," added Principal Leonard.

The McGuires sued the Sherrard School District in January 2014 for not allowing Kellsey to have Jasper in class. In December 2014, the State Board of Education ruled in favor of Kellsey and Jasper. You can read more here.

Brandi says they plan to keep Kellsey and Jasper at Jordan Catholic School. She says she hopes it sends a message to others who have a child with a disability that there are other options.

"If you're not getting the things that your child deserves in a public school, there is options of private school and they have accommodated Kellsey and Jasper wonderfully," she said.

"We could not thank them enough for just welcoming us from day one without asking questions, just accepting Jasper as Kellsey's Medical Assistant, which is what she needs."

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