Service dog becomes ‘unofficial mascot’ for soccer team
When Alison Van Derostyne brought her service dog, Reese, to her Texas A&M University-Victoria women’s soccer games, Reese often hid under the player bench to avoid the misters used to cool players down. James Williams, the university’s senior director of facilities, saw that and took action.
Williams went to Sam’s Club and purchased a small, pink pet tent and set it up on the sidelines beside the players’ bench. Now, Reese can enjoy being at the games from the comfort of her own shelter and shade.
“We are so thankful to James for going above and beyond for Ali and Reese,” said Kimberly Uetrecht, women’s head soccer coach. “It’s wonderful to have people in our community who support not only our program on the field but off the field as well. Ali and Reese have been wonderful additions to the team, and their presence brings smiles to all our faces. Our team wouldn’t be the same without them or without caring people like James, who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of those around us!”
Van Derostyne, a freshman from Corpus Christi, was born with a genetic hearing impairment known as Connexin 26. She first received hearing implants when she was three years old. Two years ago, her family adopted Reese, an Australian shepherd/rough collie mix, from a shelter and trained her to be a service dog.
“One of the things that makes college athletics so special is the sense of family and belonging that comes with being part of a team,” said Brad Kocher, director of Athletics. “I think it's pretty incredible how our women's soccer program has embraced not only Alison, but also Reese as part of the Jaguar family. To me, that speaks volumes about the character of our student-athletes and the culture we're building here at A&M-Victoria. Everyone brings something unique to a team, and everyone deserves to feel valued, supported, and included. Alison and Reese are a wonderful example of that.”
As a service dog, Reese’s main responsibilities involve alerting Van Derostyne when she’s not wearing her implants or if the implants are malfunctioning. She alerts if someone is at the door, if an alarm sounds or of other noises that Van Derostyne needs to respond to. During classes, Reese will lie down underneath Van Derostyne’s chair. At soccer practice and during games, Reese has become a kind of unofficial mascot.
“My teammates love having Reese around,” Van Derostyne said. “They love to spoil her with treats and play with her when we’re hanging out in the dorms.”
Van Derostyne chose to get a service dog to help her adjust to living on her own when she went to college. Like most students, it was an adjustment to live away from her family for the first time, but her hearing impairment added some extra complications. For example, the vibrating alarms that many people with hearing issues use to wake up in the morning don’t work for Van Derostyne. Instead, she uses a normal alarm, which alerts Reese that it’s time to wake her up for class.
At the same time, the change in living situations has been an adjustment for Reese. The family adopted her from a shelter, and at times, Reese can be extremely timid around other people.
“We think her previous home wasn’t a good environment, and it can take her a while to warm up and become comfortable with people,” Van Derostyne said. “There was a turning point for Reese one day. We were going to the dorms to hang out with some of my teammates. Instead of starting out shy or steering away from them, Reese was so excited to see everyone and play. That’s when I knew she was feeling happy and at home here.”
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.