Service dogs deserve all the love (and praise) in the world. These hard working pups are out there making such a difference in their human’s life and they do it so wholeheartedly—no questions asked. In fact, I’d say they absolutely love it.
One service pup was recently at the store with mom and stumbled upon a big, bright orange stuffed animal that caught her attention. Being the good girl she is, she gently looked at mom for approval, I can have? And as we learn in this heartwarming video, mom had a plan of her own. Take a look!
@akirablackpithappy birthday to Akira, she deserves the whole world 🥹😭
Little did this pup know, mom was more than happy to get her the stuffed animal, but she wasn’t ready to give it to her quite yet. She wanted to surprise her pup on her birthday that happened to be right around the corner! Safe to say the stuffed animal was a hit.
Related: Service Dog Falling for a Police Dog Is Proof That Love Is Real
Also, between those cute little pajamas and the sheer joy in her eyes, this video is giving off some major feel-good vibes. The caption says, “Happy birthday to Akira, she deserves the whole world.” And even though I don’t personally know Akira, this short but sweet video leads me to believe that I couldn’t agree more!
What type of dog qualifies as a service dog?
The simple answer—any dog can be a service dog, assuming the dog has been individually trained to assist an individual with a disability with specific tasks.
Just like all dogs, service animals come in every shape and size. Some small dogs are suited for alerting their owners to changes in mood, while some large dogs are great at providing stability to those with mobility difficulties.
And even though some breeds might certainly be more common than others, it is important to remember that, again, all breeds of dogs can be service animals.
The training needed for service animals to be able to perform tasks for individuals with disabilities varies, but the ADA, for example, does not require that service animals complete an official training program. Many training programs are expensive which makes it a barrier to some people.
Also, a common misconception with service dogs is that they’re the same as therapy dogs, psychiatric service animals, and emotional support animals, but that’s actually not true.
While they’re all extremely important and beneficial in their own loving ways, therapy dogs—just as an example—are often pets who have received training to ensure that they behave appropriately in institutional settings such as hospitals or a senior center.
They aren’t necessarily trained to perform a specific task for an individual with a disability like service dogs.
At the same time, emotional support animals are animals that eliminate or lessen the symptoms of an individual’s disability simply by being in their human’s presence. Emotional support animals are not limited to just dogs, either, and these animals also haven’t always been trained to perform a specific task for their human like service dogs.
But again, they’re all extremely valued and play such an important role in the lives of their humans either way. They’re just… different.
Like all dogs, however, they hold a place in our heart that is comparable to, well, pretty much nothing else. Every pup on the planet is so giving; so selfless and loving. The least we can do is surprise them with some gifts every now and then. Maybe a pup cup or two? A fresh bone… an old sock… whatever!
The beauty is, they’ll appreciate it no matter what.
Seeing Akira cuddled up with her new friend at the end of the video melts my heart. The partnership these two share is incredible. We’ll never fully deserve dogs, but they sure do deserve every ounce of love and attention we can give them.
Oh, and happy belated birthday, Akira! Wooohooo!
