Moment Service Dog Halts Play To Alert Owner Of Oncoming Medical Episode
A service dog called Sparrow has melted hearts on social media after his owner revealed what he did when she had an emergency mid-playtime.
In a video shared on TikTok on Friday, under the username servicedog.sparrow, the golden retriever and his owner can be seen playing with a stuffed penguin toy when he sensed his human was about to have an episode.
Immediately, the pup halted the game and started sniffing his owner to make sure he was right. Then he signaled to her to lay flat on the flat and began licking her face to prevent her from fainting.
Only about 10 minutes later, after he was sure the emergency had passed, he allowed her to stand back up and resume play.
A caption explains: "I was filming my (service) dog playing like a puppy then she suddenly stops about 5 minutes in and starts acting strange! I tried to get her to keep playing but she refused, she knew something was wrong.
"Turns out I was heading into pre-syncope which often results in long episodes or fainting if I don't realise or do something quickly enough (sometimes its not possible either)."
Service dogs are specially trained pups that help disabled people live more independently by performing some specific tasks that are essential for their owners' autonomy.
"The task the dog performs is directly related to the person's disability," the American Kennel Club said on its website. "For example, guide dogs help blind and visually impaired individuals navigate their environments. Hearing dogs help alert deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to important sounds."
There are about 500,000 service dogs in the U.S., Dogster reported, although people in need of a service dog may have to wait up to five years before they get one.
@servicedog.sparrow *GENUINE ALERT CAPTURED REAL TIME* I was filming my (service) dog playing like a puppy then she suddenly stops about 5 minutes in and starts acting strange! I tried to get her to keep playing but she refused, she knew something was wrong. Turns out I was heading into pre-syncope which often results in long episodes or fainting if I donât realise or do something quickly enough (sometimes its not possible either). 𦮠Sparrow is my #servicedog and is trained to respond to tiny changes in my body chemistry (detected by scent) and little behavioural cues/physiological changes and either *alert* me ahead of time (like she did here) or *respond* if I go into a pre-syncopal episode to help mitigate the worst of the symptoms (retrieve water, medication, keep me âwith itâ) or assist if I pass out (bring me round, get help from my partner, calm me down as I come round until Iâm ok to get up). What is Pre-Syncope? #Syncope itself refers to passing out/fainting. So #presyncope is by definition âbefore faintingâ, i.e. the feeling of when youâre about to faint. But with some medical conditions, it can happen on itâs own without fully losing consciousness and can last long periods of time. Symptoms include: ⢠Nausea/vomiting ⢠Blurred/tunnel vision (or lost) ⢠Tremor/shaking ⢠Clamminess/sweating ⢠Legs buckling, weakness ⢠Palpitations and heart racing ⢠Ears ringing/hearing muffled (or lost) ⢠Dizziness/lightheadedness ⢠Feeling hot and cold simultaneously And many more. It can come on slowly or ridiculously fast, and occur without warning or in response to a trigger like heat, standing still, infection, humidity. In short, its HORRIBLE. Like the worst travel sickness combined with the stomach flu. #Fainting or #passingout can actually be a relief during pre-syncope. ðµ #DysautonomiaAwareness #NeurocardiogenicSyncope #VasovagalSyncope #PresyncopeAttack #ServiceDog #ServiceDogsPlayToo #servicedogtasking #Servicedogalert #itsmeimtheproblem #hiitsmeimtheproblem #ServiceDogSparrow #AssistanceDog #AssistancedogTask
⬠Oh No - Kreepa
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 3.2 million views and 273,100 likes on the platform.
One user, Kari, commented: "No matter how many videos I see of any different kind of service dog, it always totally blows and amazes me to see what these superheros are capable of."
Sara Eileen Mangiafi said: "I've experienced presyncope at least a dozen times in the past three years or so, and I sometimes wish I'd let myself faint just so the drs will actually take me seriously."
Loki added: "The bombastic side eye was on point she was like 'maam.. maam, please I am a trained professional."
Newsweek reached out to servicedog.sparrow for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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