Service dogs help individuals with various disabilities or challenges in their every day lives. It can be anything from opening and closing doors, picking up dropped things from the ground, switching lights on and off, and even pushing wheelchairs. In other words, service dogs are simply great friends to have!
Some service dogs can even respond to things before they happen. For example, they may have an eye for whether a person with diabetes has low blood sugar or if a person may be in danger of having an epileptic seizure. Yes, dogs are small wonders of wisdom and thoughtfulness.
One person fully aware of our four-legged friends’ superpowers is Amber Oliver. She is a certified, professional dog trainer — who suffers from panic attacks.
Amber herself has her own service dog, a 5 year old darling named Oakley. Amber and Oakley spend loads of time with each other and Amber has trained Oakley on how to respond to a panic episode. By the time she was done with him, Oakley did so much more than just understand her panic attacks — he could anticipate them.
Clip spreading like wildfire
Amber trained Oakley to feel changes in her body temperature, breathing and pulse, all indications that she is getting a panic attack. Brilliant Oakley could now sense the risk and react to protect her.
While waiting one day at Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International Airport, a camera captured exactly how talented this 5-year-old is. Amber’s video of Oakley reacting to a panic attack is now spreading like wildfire by animal friends everywhere.
Stops panic attack
The camera catches how Oakley reacts with one instant movement as Amber starts shaking. He turns around and wags his tail. He immediately sees that Amber is in need of closeness and knows exactly what to do. In the next phase, Amber has taught Oakley how to separate her hands, moving them from herself to his comforting fur instead, which calms her down.
Job done
Oakley’s reaction calms Amber down immediately. Amber can now pet and cuddle with Oakley instead of panicking — beneficial for both herself and her dog.
Have a look at the amazing moment in the clip below. Amber really doesn’t know what she would do without her brilliant dog. This, to me, is clear proof that dogs really are ‘man’s best friend’!
Dogs are indeed man’s best friend. It’s that simple! And the relationship between Amber and Oakley is definitely evidence of this. Let’s now do what tens of thousands of other animal lovers are doing and pass on this incredible clip so that everyone can see this wonderful moment.
