A service dog in Pennsylvania recently saved a child with autism from drowning. What do we know about this situation, and what else happened in the aftermath?
Service Dogs Do More Than Just Offer Comfort
The term “emotional support animal” gets thrown around a lot these days. While some people may use this term to get out of paying pet deposits, the reality is that service animals do much more than offer comfort to their humans. In many cases, these animals save lives and become heroes.
According to the latest statistics from Total Vet, approximately 500,000 service dogs are currently working in the United States. This is no small number, as these animals have to go through special training to ensure that they can help their humans with their daily tasks.
Pennsylvania Service Dog Saves Child With Autism
Speaking of her daughter, Kendall, who has autism, her mother had nothing but praise for her daughter when she spoke about her to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. The mother said of her daughter, “Kendall is my amazing daughter. She is on the spectrum. She’s non-verbal. She has some safety awareness. She’s the happiest kid that you’ll ever meet.”
The family was eventually approved for a service dog, and they began working with Bea when the pup was just twelve weeks old. One thing that Kendall often does is walk away from home and wander off. It turns out, Bea saved the girl’s life recently in a big way.
Kendall’s mom went on to recount a recent incident in which her daughter was in a life-threatening situation. However, thanks to the family service dog, they were able to rely on the animal to save their daughter and bring her home safe and out of harm’s way.
Grateful Mother Recounts How Service Dog Saved Daughter’s Life
Speaking of the incident, Kendall’s mother said, “She did wander off, and she was so close to a body of water, where I was able to tell the dog, ‘track,’ and she got my daughter about 10 feet away from that body of water, and was able to take her at the knees and save her life.”
The mother continued, adding, “It’s remarkable. To this day, it brings me to tears because it’s so surreal. It’s something that’s needed, and I want other families to have the opportunity.”
@k9_university Autism Dogs are incredible working dogs who help their handlers every single day! We are so proud to not only see how far Zoe has come in our program but her little handler as well! The little handler was unable to walk around stores without becoming overstimulated, stressed, and wandering away from his parents. Today the little handler is excited to walk around store and even show Zoe his favorite things to see in the store. This is all thanks to Zoe working hard for her little handler!! Great work Zoe👏🏼🦮🐾 #servicedog #servicedogintraining #servicedogsoftiktok #servicedogs #autismdog #tasktrainedservicedog #tasktraining #autismawareness #servicedogtrainer #germanshepherd #germanshepherdsoftiktok #servicedogtrainer ♬ original sound – K-9 University Dog Training
What do you think about this remarkable story of a service dog saving a young girl’s life? Do you or anyone you know have a service dog? Let us know your thoughts and opinions by commenting them below.
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Evan Morgan has been a full-time freelancer for over a decade. When he’s not writing about the latest TLC gossip, he enjoys listening to music and catching up on the latest scripted drama or true crime documentary.
