SHERMAN, Texas — Alison Appleby was once told she couldn't compete in beauty pageants because of her disability.
She sought to prove doubters wrong -- and it paid off.
The Sherman, Texas teenager, along with her service dog, Brady, entered the Miss Dallas Teen pageant last weekend and took home the crown.
And yes, her dog was also given a crown.
Appleby was diagnosed with epilepsy two years and said that her dog helps alert her to oncoming seizures.
The 17-year-old told local news station KTEN that she had never entered a pageant before but changed her mind because of what someone once told her.
"A bystander who was just standing there overhearing our conversation said, 'you can't do that because you have a disability and pageant girls don't have disabilities,'" Appleby told KTEN.
So, with her dog by her side, Appleby traveled south to Dallas to take part in the Miss Dallas Teen pageant -- and won the top prize. She said judges told her that her pageant interview helped seal the win.
"One of the things that got them, that made them stop writing and look at me like, did you really just say that?' and something I tell a lot of people is just because I have a chronic illness, doesn't mean I'm chronically ill," the 17-year-old told KTEN.
Appleby will now head to Houston to compete for the Miss Texas Teen title in May.
As for Brady, the service dog will be content with the title of Miss Dallas Dog.
