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Isabella "Bella" Scott said her dog O'Hara motivated her to attend class, go to the dining hall and get outside in general during her four years at Curry College.
“I'm such an introverted person that without O'Hara I probably would have sat in my room 24/7,” she said. “I would have just been overly isolated." Although, helping O'Hara focus on her training was incredibly challenging.
“[People] see a dog and they automatically just want to go give it love," Scott said. "But sometimes people forget the rules that you're supposed to ask before petting any dog, let alone a service dog.”
Scott started losing her sight as a child and was officially diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease at about 20 years old. The disease is "a juvenile form of macular degeneration that progressively takes the central vision," Scotts website, called Harnessing Sight, reads.
Scott was paired with O'Hara through a program called Guiding Eyes for the Blind in March 2018. While Scott has beeb familiar with her disability practically her whole life, she recognizes not everyone has a similar experience.
"I can't get mad at people for not knowing the rules about service dogs because there's not a lot of information out there," she said. "I saw that problem and I decided that I wanted to sort of create a way that could help lessen that."
That way began with making educational videos on TikTok, including ones showcasing O’Hara in proper attire while accompanying Scott to her biology labs. These videos gifted O'Hara the honorary title of "Goodest Girl in STEM."
Moreover, Scott is taking her ambitions beyond the laboratory by offering tailored visits for groups, businesses, schools and other organizations. She even wrote a children’s book called “O'Hara (The Tail of a Good Pup)," which is available on Amazon.
“I've gotten a lot of good feedback about that and teachers really bringing the book to school to read to their students,” she said. "That stuff has been really, really rewarding, even if it's just changed the life or the mindset of one individual.”
Meanwhile, Scott and O’Hara continue to positively impact their TikTok audience of over 579,000 and counting. People can follow Scott and O’Hara on TikTok @my.eyes.ohara or log onto their website to learn more about their mission.
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