We post a lot of stories about how amazing service dogs are, but rarely do we get a true first-hand account from the person to whom the dog is devoted. A young woman named Alyssa Silva writes a blog called Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and she recently penned a wonderful tribute to her dog, Fred, a Golden Retriever trained by a Georgia-based organization called Canine Assistants.
Alyssa tells the entire story of her relationship with Fred, including how she met him for the first time:
[O]ur initial task was to greet every dog (by saying their names) individually at their cages. These dogs seemed extremely unenthused by my greetings, and if I could have read their minds, they were probably thinking, “Just get me out of here”. Then, finally, I approached this golden retriever, looked for his name tag, and let out a cheerful, “Hi Fred!” Fred quickly stood up in his cage and started wagging his tail frantically, a reaction I hadn’t received from any of the dogs yet. I immediately called my parents over to tell them what just happened and how excited I was by his response. Although I didn’t realize it then, that was the moment Fred chose me.
It’s a wonderful tale of the love and devotion shared by Fred and Alyssa. He is incredibly attentive and passionate about protecting her, and she understands and loves him completely.
Click here for the full story.
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