10 dogs with very important jobs
- Dogs aren't just here for play time — sometimes, they do very important work.
- While some of these jobs are important in name only, like the canine mayor of Idyllwild, California, others are legitimately helping people.
- Molly is a therapy dog that works with child abuse victims. She helps calm them down in court while they tell their stories.
- Dogs are being trained to detect the coronavirus by sniffing people.
These doggos work hard at their jobs, whether it's rescuing other dogs from mud, helping a friend cross the finish line of a half marathon, or making sick people smile.
They prove that man's best friend can be more than just that — they can be heroes.
Keep scrolling to learn more about these hard-working pups.
Pups all around the world are being trained to sniff out the coronavirus in public places.
As Business Insider reported, police dogs around the world are being trained to sniff out the novel coronavirus so they might be able to detect infected people in public places.
Much like sniffing for bombs, malaria, or even cancer, dogs are trained to recognize the smell of the virus and then find it in public places. "In Santiago, Chile, the National Police and the Catholic University of Chile are working together to train four dogs to detect the coronavirus in public spaces by September," Business Insider wrote.
Molly sits in courtrooms to help calm victims of abuse.
Courtroom dogs are a relatively new phenomenon. In the San Bernardino, California, district attorney's office, two black Labradors were sworn in as part of a special victims canine unit, PBS reported.
Their job is to "reduce fear and help some of the most vulnerable victims, many of them children, feel comfortable in court," according to PBS. Their presence is thought to help support kids who must tell their stories in front of an entire courtroom, while their parents are unable to sit with them.
Westley, Waffle, and Gus helped Thomas Panek become the first blind person to complete the New York City Half Marathon with guide dogs.
Panek finished the race with the help of these two very good boys and one very good girl, who took turns switching off during the race, and guided him through the streets. They even got to wear their very own running shoes over their paws.
Panek finished the race with Gus, who has been by his side for years.
"It's a little emotional for me because he's been there with me the whole time," Panek said of his running pal.
Before he passed away in February 2019, Duke was the mayor of Cormorant Village in Minnesota.
Duke was elected to become the mayor of his small town of Cormorant, Minnesota, in 2014 by "a landslide," according to Deputy Mayor Steve Sorenson. He won via a write-in campaign, and was subsequently elected three more times before he retired in 2018 at the ripe old age of 13.
According to Sorenson, Cormorant was a significantly happier place after Duke was elected.
"He kind of oversees the little village," he told ABC. "It's not a very big town, it's probably only a quarter mile long and he just kind of hangs out at the local pub and makes sure everything is runnin' okay and keeps the riff-raff out and just oversees the whole works."
And he's not the only dog mayor around. Meet Max II, the mayor of Idyllwild, California.
Max II took over for the original canine mayor of Idyllwild, Max, after he died of old age. Max II was then elected when he was just under two months old. He now has the position for life.
The golden retriever makes appearances in the town square, as well as at schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Max II is also available for meetings with his constituents.
Kirby is just one of many pups involved in the Pet Assistance Therapy program at Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
Kirby is just one of hundreds of therapy dogs around the country specifically trained to visit hospital patients and give them comfort in some of their hardest times.
The PAT program at Torrance Memorial in Los Angeles started in 1990. In order to become a certified therapy dog at Torrance, a pup must complete obedience classes, be "interviewed," do multiple test runs, provide veterinary info, attend an orientation, and complete 13 hours of training and practice shifts. That's more than it takes for some human jobs!
Turns out, seeing eye dogs aren't just for humans — 11-year-old Charlie had a seeing eye puppy of his very own.
The Stipe family made the difficult decision to remove their dog Charlie's eyes after they were damaged due to glaucoma. What they didn't realize is that their new puppy, Maverick, would take it upon himself to help Charlie out with his daily life.
Maverick helped Charlie find his toys, walk, play, and even eat before he passed away in 2019. Maverick's owners still share his antics on Instagram.
Other dogs help on rescue attempts. On Tino's very first mission, he was able to save Puppy, who had been stuck in the mud for two days.
After training for 16 months, Tino was called to his first rescue mission ever when 11-year-old Puppy went missing from a walk with his family. He was gone for 40 hours.
Tino was able to find Puppy within a few hours, less than a mile away from his home. He had been trapped in cold mud for hours.
Frida was credited with saving at least 12 lives after a deadly earthquake in Mexico City.
Nearly 400 people died after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook central Mexico in 2017. During the chaos, many first responders were on hand to search and rescue, including 8-year-old rescue dog Frida.
Frida helped by sniffing through rubble and finding people trapped underneath. She was credited with saving 12 lives in the aftermath of the disaster.
The people of Mexico were so grateful that they erected a statue in her honor.
Panzer helps his owner, army veteran Brad Schwarz, cope with his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
K9s for Warriors is just one of many programs accessible to veterans who would like a service animal to help them cope with their PTSD and other combat-related disorders.
According to NBC, veterans go through a three-week training period with their dogs to learn about them and how best to work with them. The dogs are able to provide assistance to those with physical disabilities, and are trained to create personal space for veterans who get anxious in crowds.
Justin Madore, a retired US Army Staff Sergeant, told NBC that his service dog can tell when he has nightmares, and climbs into bed with him.
"The dogs become a part of us — they know when there's something off," he said.
- Read more:
- A dog with 'fainting goat syndrome' freezes and falls down when he gets excited, and nobody can figure out why
- Chernobyl workers are adopting the site's contaminated dogs, but not all of them are safe to pet
- 7 tips for training your dog, from a Marine who trained dogs to sniff out bombs
- This photographer takes photos of dogs trying to catch treats, and the results will bring a smile to your face
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