So appreciative of this dog and all service dogs who devote their lives to making ours better. The service dog in this video is helping his friend with grocery and crossing the street. The dog’s name is Windsor. His owner is Christy. In the video, you’ll see how helpful he is at the grocery store.
Windsor gives the credit card to the cashier. If he were serving someone in a wheelchair, this is tremendously helpful. Bank counters are often not reachable by wheelchairs. Fortunately, bankers are helpful with personal service for those who require this assistance. Although Christy does not need this help from Windsor, she is letting him help.
What it takes to be a service dog
Watch how Windsor helps when Christy leaves the grocery store. He steps aside for her to go out first so he is not crowding her. Once outside, Windsor walks ahead of Christy, while carrying the grocery bag with his mouth. Watch how he halts when she takes a step down from the curb. He is acting as a stabilizer while Christy transition from the curb to the street. Once she is completely on the street, Windsor guides her again. When they reach the other side of the street, again, Windsor makes himself the stabilizer while Christy finds her footing onto the curb.
This looks natural to Windsor, but it takes a long time to train a service dog. Many start as a puppy. That first year of training is a general training for them to feel comfortable in all kinds of environment, people, and situations. They are encouraged to interact with all kinds of people so they are at ease in a variety of interactions. They are also trained to not be distracted by all kinds of interesting things, like the squirrel dashing in front of him, or other dogs barking and chasing each other. When they become service dogs, no matter how much the public adores and admires them when they see such helpful dogs, they are to focus their attention on their owner’s needs. Even humans need quite a bit of training to do this. Imagine the dedication it requires from our 4-legged friends who are meant to run around and play all day long. I appreciate this video for showing us how service dog gives us back our independence.
If you like this video, here is another therapy dog video for you!
