May is Mental Health Awareness Month and people every day are fighting their own hidden battles. One Cal Poly athlete is using man’s best friend to help in her own mental health journey.
The Cal Poly Beach Volleyball program is soaring into the NCAA Championships this week as one of the top-ranked teams in the country, taking on LSU Friday, May 2, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
“It's been a great group of girls. We had seven more girls than last year. I don't call it a team, I call it an army," Head Coach Todd Rogers said of the 32 players he has on the roster this year.
But there’s another soldier on the team, there to serve a different purpose.
Redshirt junior Ella Connor is a two-time All-American in the sand but has dealt with mental health struggles, including panic attacks, which led to her taking 2023 off.
“I decided with my parents that a service dog would be a good thing," she said.
Meet Herc, the golden retriever service dog that travels with Ella everywhere and is lovable just as he is helpful.
“He'll tell me, Ella, you need to sit down, let's go deal with this, let's figure this out, and then I'll sit down. He'll go across my lap," Connor explained.
Herc is one of the over 300 service animals provided and trained by Doggie Do Good in Arroyo Grande, where CEO Sandy Sandberg says that they can help people with a variety of mental health issues.
“The dog just really helps them get through it and helps them to be the best person they can be to go through life with," Sandberg explained. The dogs get trained for a variety of mental health issues and can pick up on triggers like the ones Ella has to be able to sense when a panic attack or episode is about to happen.
There are an estimated 500,000 service dogs throughout the U.S. and Sandberg is noticing a growing need.
“I noticed that through Doggie Do Good, our company, that we have had more service dogs," Sandberg said. "It does seem like there's a rise as far as the need. Definitely there's a need.”
For head coach Todd Rogers, it’s a nice addition to the team.
“He's a good boy in that he helps everyone there. Yes, he's focused on Ella and when he sees Ella, it's all about Ella," Rogers explained.
But Herc also provides comfort to everyone else on the team.
“It's super cool to see like the wealth spread throughout the team," Connor said.
It has also led to a happier and healthier Ella.
“From my perspective, seeing that it was like, wow, holy moly, talking about two totally different people really opened my eyes as well to it," Rogers said of the transformation he's seen in Ella over the past two years.
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, dealing with your own mental health is crucial for anyone and this month is a reminder to find your Herc.
“It shows that, like, people are open to talking about it and you're not really alone because there's a lot of different solutions that you can use," Connor stated.
The team's first match is Friday, May 1 vs. LSU at 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN 2. The Mustangs are ranked fifth in the country.
