In the hush of a pre-dawn Thursday, Cheri Craven begins her school day. The high school sophomore is wearing a floral print dress, her backpack stuffed with textbooks and homework. She whispers to her attentive dog, "Okay, Holly, time to go to school."

Careful not to wake up her sleeping family, Cheri, age 16, hooks the leash to Holly's collar. She slips out of her wheelchair to open the front door and lets Holly, a Labrador-Keisha mix of black fur, take the lead. Together, they move down to the edge of the driveway to await the school bus.

Without Holly, Cheri, who has spina bifida, a genetic disorder that caused her to be born with a hole in her spinal cord, would need to rely on home schooling. Cheri needs a wheelchair to get around. Until brain surgery a couple years ago, Cheri suffered from epileptic seizures and would suddenly convulse or slip into unconsciousness. She has struggled with sleep apnea and a thyroid condition. She also sports a shunt in her head to draw excess water from her brain to avoid hydrocephalus, or swelling of the brain.

Medical experts determined Cheri needed the assistance of a service dog and Holly arrived at her doorstep two years ago. With the help of professional service dog trainer Nancy Mulica, Cheri learned how to communicate with and rely upon Holly, now 4.

"For Cheri, it was the first time she was in control of something and it was scary at first for her," says Mulica, a trainer for Paws With A Cause. "She had to learn how to 'talk dog,' understand the why behind all the commands, and accept that Holly will be by her side 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Holly has the muscle to pick up a heavy metal crutch and the dexterity to pick up a thin dime and bring them to Cheri upon command. She knows to alert Cheri's mom, Pam, if Cheri's breathing should stop in the middle of the night due to her sleep apnea.

"Holly is my very good friend," says Cheri, who affectionately nicknamed her Mutt. "She leans against my body if I'm crying and I can always count on her."

The bus weaves through nearby subdivisions to pick up a few more students with special needs before arriving at the school parking lot. It's 7:12 a.m., plenty of time for Cheri to grab some breakfast in the cafeteria before the bell rings at 7:45 a.m. for her first class, math.

"Honey bun and orange juice, please," Cheri requests, fishing out some money. Placing the food in her lap, she grabs Holly's leash and says, "Let's go." Holly leads her to a table.

As the bell chimes to indicate the first class of the day, Holly helps guide Cheri through a sea of students. More than 2,200 attend this school. "When I first got here, students were pretty surprised to see a dog at school and a lot wanted to pet Holly," says Cheri. "Now, she's pretty much blended in."

"Good morning Cheri ... and Holly," greets math teacher Jim Keefe. The blackboard is filled with math problems. Holly positions her 65-pound body under Cheri's wide desk while Cheri begins multiplying and dividing fractions.

Cheri's pencil slips from her fingers. "Holly, bring. That's it. Now give. Good girl," Cheri says, scratching Holly's head after she retrieved her pencil.

Class two — food science — has Cheri shaping dough to form pretzels. Despite the warm, inviting aromas of baking bread sprinkled with garlic, Holly remains under the desk.

"I've never met a dog that won't beg for food until I met Holly," says food science teacher Pat Wilkinson. "We've made pizza, pancakes and muffins and Holly hasn't begged once."

"I was going to get a service dog, too, but I just wasn't strong enough to hold the leash," says Christina. "Holly is a cool dog and Cheri is a lot of fun."

The two girls team up on a class assignment to snip pictures from magazines that illustrate the characters from the book, To Kill A Mockingbird.

As English teacher Lisa Carroll attempts to walk through the crowded rows to help the 35 students, a snoozing Holly blocks her path.

"Holly, you're going to have to get out of the way," says Cheri. "Come to this side. That's a good girl."

Carroll and Cheri bonded the first day of class.

"My first dog was named Holly and now I have a chocolate Lab named Samson that looks a little like Cheri's Holly," says Carroll. "I'm glad to have both Cheri and Holly in my class."

Before heading to the guidance office where she spends an hour as a student aide, Cheri wheels over to a low-level water fountain. She opens up Holly's backpack, grabs the water bowl and fills it. Holly laps up the water quickly.

"On really hot days, we make more water breaks, but today is nice and cool," says Cheri. Following lunch, Cheri attends classes in world culture and crafts before boarding the bus back home.

She is already looking toward the future.

In the hush of a pre-dawn Thursday, Cheri Craven begins her school day. The high school sophomore is wearing a floral print dress, her backpack stuffed with textbooks and homework. She whispers to her attentive dog, "Okay, Holly, time to go to school."

Careful not to wake up her sleeping family, Cheri, age 16, hooks the leash to Holly's collar. She slips out of her wheelchair to open the front door and lets Holly, a Labrador-Keisha mix of black fur, take the lead. Together, they move down to the edge of the driveway to await the school bus.

Without Holly, Cheri, who has spina bifida, a genetic disorder that caused her to be born with a hole in her spinal cord, would need to rely on home schooling. Cheri needs a wheelchair to get around. Until brain surgery a couple years ago, Cheri suffered from epileptic seizures and would suddenly convulse or slip into unconsciousness. She has struggled with sleep apnea and a thyroid condition. She also sports a shunt in her head to draw excess water from her brain to avoid hydrocephalus, or swelling of the brain.

Medical experts determined Cheri needed the assistance of a service dog and Holly arrived at her doorstep two years ago. With the help of professional service dog trainer Nancy Mulica, Cheri learned how to communicate with and rely upon Holly, now 4.

"For Cheri, it was the first time she was in control of something and it was scary at first for her," says Mulica, a trainer for Paws With A Cause. "She had to learn how to 'talk dog,' understand the why behind all the commands, and accept that Holly will be by her side 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Holly has the muscle to pick up a heavy metal crutch and the dexterity to pick up a thin dime and bring them to Cheri upon command. She knows to alert Cheri's mom, Pam, if Cheri's breathing should stop in the middle of the night due to her sleep apnea.

"Holly is my very good friend," says Cheri, who affectionately nicknamed her Mutt. "She leans against my body if I'm crying and I can always count on her."

The bus weaves through nearby subdivisions to pick up a few more students with special needs before arriving at the school parking lot. It's 7:12 a.m., plenty of time for Cheri to grab some breakfast in the cafeteria before the bell rings at 7:45 a.m. for her first class, math.

"Honey bun and orange juice, please," Cheri requests, fishing out some money. Placing the food in her lap, she grabs Holly's leash and says, "Let's go." Holly leads her to a table.

As the bell chimes to indicate the first class of the day, Holly helps guide Cheri through a sea of students. More than 2,200 attend this school. "When I first got here, students were pretty surprised to see a dog at school and a lot wanted to pet Holly," says Cheri. "Now, she's pretty much blended in."

"Good morning Cheri ... and Holly," greets math teacher Jim Keefe. The blackboard is filled with math problems. Holly positions her 65-pound body under Cheri's wide desk while Cheri begins multiplying and dividing fractions.

Cheri's pencil slips from her fingers. "Holly, bring. That's it. Now give. Good girl," Cheri says, scratching Holly's head after she retrieved her pencil.

Class two — food science — has Cheri shaping dough to form pretzels. Despite the warm, inviting aromas of baking bread sprinkled with garlic, Holly remains under the desk.

"I've never met a dog that won't beg for food until I met Holly," says food science teacher Pat Wilkinson. "We've made pizza, pancakes and muffins and Holly hasn't begged once."

"I was going to get a service dog, too, but I just wasn't strong enough to hold the leash," says Christina. "Holly is a cool dog and Cheri is a lot of fun."

The two girls team up on a class assignment to snip pictures from magazines that illustrate the characters from the book, To Kill A Mockingbird.

As English teacher Lisa Carroll attempts to walk through the crowded rows to help the 35 students, a snoozing Holly blocks her path.

"Holly, you're going to have to get out of the way," says Cheri. "Come to this side. That's a good girl."

Carroll and Cheri bonded the first day of class.

"My first dog was named Holly and now I have a chocolate Lab named Samson that looks a little like Cheri's Holly," says Carroll. "I'm glad to have both Cheri and Holly in my class."

Before heading to the guidance office where she spends an hour as a student aide, Cheri wheels over to a low-level water fountain. She opens up Holly's backpack, grabs the water bowl and fills it. Holly laps up the water quickly.

"On really hot days, we make more water breaks, but today is nice and cool," says Cheri. Following lunch, Cheri attends classes in world culture and crafts before boarding the bus back home.

She is already looking toward the future.

"When I graduate, I'm going to college and major in nursing," declares Cheri. "And, Holly is coming with me. She seems more human to me than dog. I feel very lucky to have her."