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Service dog goes viral for flunking out of training school in spectacular fashion

He did, however, receive his certification as a Very Good Boy.

Double H Canine Training Academy/Youtube
Service dog flunks out of training school in spectacular fashion

There are lots of different kinds of service and companion dogs. Some are "seeing-eye" dogs that assist people with visual impairments. People with mobility issues, hearing loss, or who are at risk of seizures might benefit from a service dog to help them and keep them safe. People with autism, PTSD, anxiety, or depression can also benefit from a highly trained canine companion.

Regardless of the task, certified service animals must undergo an extremely rigorous training process. Their job is not an easy one, and they need to prove they're capable and not prone to being distracted. No one knows this better than the folks at Double H Canine Academy in Louisville, Kentucky — a training facility for pups.

The team at Double H also recognizes that not every dog is suited for a life of service. In a hilarious viral video posted to YouTube, it's abundantly clear that not all dogs are meant to follow orders.


german shepherd, dogs, service dog, seeing eye dog, emotional support dog, service animal, animals, disabilityGerman Shepherds make great service dogs. Well, not all German Shepherds. Photo by Anna Dudkova on Unsplash

Ladies and gentleman, meet Ryker. He's a German Shepherd who was a student at Double H trying to earn his service dog bona fides (bone-a-fides?). Unfortunately, Ryker flunked out in such spectacular fashion that the team couldn't help but put together a little "highlight" package of his best moments.

Ryker really tries his best, but the poor guy just can't help himself. He doesn't want to work; he wants to play. Ryker steals a tennis ball from the bottom of a walker, drags around an entire wheelchair by its handle, and pulls his trainer over trying to go after a fetch ball. There is no piece of equipment that he doesn't want to chew or climb on. There is no leash that can contain him. There is literally not a single distraction that he will not fall for. Perhaps his most extreme fail is, when trying to open a refrigerator door, he ends up dragging the entire thing halfway across the room.

Definitely not service dog behavior. Watch his contagious, fun-loving spirit in the video here:


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The video racked up over 2 million views, and commenters agreed: Ryker may not have passed, but he was definitely a certified Very Good Boy.

'Why bring one thing from the fridge when you can bring the whole damn thing"

"Frankly, I don't understand why he didn't pass. I mean he folded the wheelchair up. He removed the walker from the person after they clearly were done with it. He washed the floor. He moved the fridge. What more could you ask of him?"

"My family and I adopted a service academy 'drop-out' ten years ago. He's still with us and is the most AMAZING dog I'll ever have."

"Being a service dog was not his purpose in life... still a good boy, his purpose was to give us laughs."

"On the plus side, if you lose a tennis ball Ryker is your dog!"

As you can see, Ryker is living his life to the fullest. While he may never be the world's greatest service dog, he continues to provide an invaluable testament to being true to oneself.


sleeping dog, dogs, animals, funny animals, funny dogsRyker is more cut out for this kind of life.Giphy

The list of skills that service dogs can have is astounding. Not all dogs will acquire all of these skills, but some of the basics are:

  • Carrying things for their owner
  • Guiding their owner safely
  • Waking their owner
  • Waking their handler and/or helping them up
  • Interrupting dissociating or freezing
  • Find their owner if lost
  • Alerting bystanders, calling for help, or even using a dog-friendly phone to contact emergency services!
  • And so many more

The fact that Ryker has had any training at all makes him exceptionally well-suited to civilian life. As a family house-dog, Ryker won't need any of the skills above, but his abundance of love and playfulness will serve him incredibly well with his forever family.

This article originally appeared five years ago. It has been updated.

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Health

Afghanistan War veteran walks thousands of miles around Lake Michigan to prevent military suicide

He pledges to keep walking as long as he's needed.

via TravisHikesAroundLakeMI/Facebook

Travis Snyder has trekked more than 2,200 miles around Lake Michigan.

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Veteran suicides are on the rise in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the suicide rate increased by nearly 36% from 2001 to 2019. Since the onset of the "war on terror" in 2001, more than 30,000 active duty personnel have died by suicide—that’s four times greater than the number killed in action.

Marine veteran Travis Snyder was enlisted in the military for six years and served in Afghanistan as a corporal from October 2017 to April 2018 and is no stranger to the pain of veteran suicide. Snyder lost a friend and fellow veteran to it in 2019.

He’s also had his own mental health struggles.

After leaving the military and losing a friend, he discovered his new purpose in life, to help other veterans dealing with mental health issues.

“Up until that point in my unit, we had lost others before my time of service, but that was my first time experiencing loss up close. Once we lost Jeff I would say I just felt led to do something and walking and hiking was the best thing I knew how to do,” Snyder told WGVU News.

So Snyder decided to do something dramatic. In 2019, he walked 810 miles of shoreline around Lake Michigan in 42 days to raise awareness for mental health resources and veteran suicide prevention. In 2020, he walked 210 miles of shoreline and in 2021, another 200. This year, Snyder had his longest walk of 900 miles around the lake.

Snyder uses the attention he gets from his monumental walks to raise money for Mission 22, a nonprofit that helps veterans with mental health treatment and support.

On all four of Snyder’s walks, he’s been impressed with the kindness of those he’s encountered around the lake.

“The first year I was going to hike, I didn’t tell too many folks what I was doing. I was merely going to commemorate our comrade we lost to suicide and hoped to reach a few people along the way. I had all of my camping gear and was ready to rough it wherever I could,” he told Upworthy.

“However, with help from Facebook, word of mouth, and other platforms, thousands of people have gathered around each venture, with a desire to contribute one way or another; whether it be a meal, a roof, a bed, or just a word of encouragement. I’m very grateful when I share that after four walks and 2240 total miles, I have yet to resort to camping out somewhere for a night. I have always had a bed, or place to stay whether it be a home or hotel,” he continued.

Snyder’s favorite spot on his heroic walks is Fayette Historic State Park in Garden, Michigan.

“At one point it was a bustling community that manufactured iron in the late 19th century, but was abandoned and is now basically a ghost town,” he told Upworthy. “However, the surrounding cliff faces, clear waters, and alluring scenery make it a must. When I went, there was no one around so it really added to the eerie yet beautiful vibe!”

Snyder wouldn’t be able to raise money without Meta tools. He adds a donate button to his Facebook posts which allows his followers to support and donate to the Mission 22 organization. Facebook is the best tool he has for keeping his followers up to date on his walks.

"Thanks to Facebook and the tools and resources that Facebook provides, I was able to set a small stage, and build a small following, a community of folks that want to tie into this cause and contribute in their own way," Travis has shared.

Facebook also allows people to join him on his journeys.

“I do my best to be consistent and to the point with my posts, so that followers are able to both stay interested and engaged. But also so that they don’t miss anything that I’m sharing; whether that be updates on the walk itself or new information in the world of veteran mental health,” he told Upworthy.

Many of Snyder’s followers on social media are veterans of wars including Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

Snyder hopes his walks will help inspire a dialog about mental health and encourage civilians and vets to have discussions about this challenging topic.

via TravisHikesAroundLakeMI/Facebook

“I hope that the stigma behind the term ‘PTSD’ doesn’t prevent civilians from interacting or being willing to have a conversation with a veteran,” he told Upworthy. “Veterans who experience these mental health injuries are not weak for speaking up, but rather it’s the act of opening up and sharing these experiences that are saving lives, by encouraging more and more to speak up as well.”

He also hopes people learn that PTSD isn’t the only mental health struggle veterans face.

“Mental health challenges come in all forms, and levels of intensity,” he told Upworthy. “Some that experience challenges are working through serious obstacles such as suicidal tendencies, schizophrenia and depression. But some are merely experiencing anxiety, trouble sleeping and stress.”

Snyder is looking to walk even further in 2023 with either a 1,000-mile trek around Lake Michigan or, possibly, a journey around Lake Superior, which would take as long as four months.

“Trust me, the desire is there, and as long as we keep losing our loved ones to suicide,” he told Upworthy, “the calling and the need will continue to be there as well."

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Dazzling fireworks can have big drawbacks. But technology can help.

This article originally appeared on 07.05.18.


Some of us can't wait for the summer sun to go down so we can set off fireworks.

But for others, the loud sounds and bright lights can be a problem.

If you've ever been to a fireworks show, you know that they can be spectacular. They can also be really overwhelming, especially for those who live with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Vince Bryant, a veteran living in Texas, told ABC News that the sounds of the fireworks are so much for him that he puts on headphones and locks himself in a closet when they start.

"It sends me right back to Iraq. Automatically it puts me in a situation like we fighting," Bryant said.

And those with PTSD aren't the only ones affected by bright, noisy light shows.

Cats and dogs are often terrified by what's going on. And fireworks are not particularly great for some environments — especially those susceptible to wildfires. Even when fire isn't an issue, environmental concerns remain. Fireworks contribute to pollution, and in some cases, the smog they create can last several days.

Once a spent firework has reached the ground, it can hurt in other ways. The residue that fireworks leave behind often ends up in lakes or rivers, and that can lead to health problems in humans.

Fortunately, technology has come a long way, and fireworks are only one way to celebrate summer holidays.

For one, fireworks distributors often sell silent fireworks. And communities are starting to celebrate with large-scale productions that aim to include everyone while keeping tensions, and pollutants, low.

At Travis Air Base in Northern California, traditional fireworks were replaced with 500 perfectly synchronized drones.

The drones fly in colorful formations without booms or whistles, allowing everyone to enjoy the beautiful light show without having to worry that a giant bomb is going off somewhere.

Other areas like Aspen, Colorado, where wildlife could be hurt by the fallout from fireworks, have ordered drone shows as an environmentally friendly display.

Here's what some of the drone shows look like:

And there's something even cooler on the horizon: Fireworks you can feel.

Disney (of course it's Disney) is working on fireworks displays that aren't just cool to look at but inclusive for all — including those without sight.

These fireworks allow those who are visually or hearing impaired to touch the magic without being burned (or even getting their shirts singed a little bit — something that will definitely happen if you, like me, chose to light six sparkers at once just to see what would happen).

In order to make the viewer feel the explosion, jets of water are shot onto the back of a flexible screen as light plays on the front. The person watching puts their hand on the screen and can enjoy the show in real time. Pretty cool, right?

Bottom line: A more inclusive fourth is awesome for everyone.

There's nothing exactly like the thrill of setting off a firework in the middle of the street and running as fast and far as you can before it goes off in a shower of sparks and shrieking whistles. But that's just not fun — or even doable — for everyone.

More options means more ways for friends, families, and loved ones to enjoy holiday light shows together. And after unlimited hot dogs and an entire day off, that's the best thing of all.

Family

Veteran with PTSD writes powerful book 'Why is Dad So Mad?' to help explain the disorder to his young daughter.

"Why is Dad So Mad"
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Army veteran Seth Kastle had everything going for him when he came home from serving 16 years overseas. That's why it was so confusing to him when his life began to fall apart.

He had a job, a loving wife, family, and friends. He knew things would be different when he moved back to Kansas, but he didn't think they'd be that different. But he felt an extreme anger building up inside, a fire inside his chest that he couldn't explain or get rid of.

Kastle was unknowingly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event — like war.

"I waited until it was too late," he said. "I didn't even know what PTSD was."

Seth Kastle on the far right. Image courtesy of Seth Kastle.

Kastle struggled for years without getting help, pushing away his loved ones — including his wife. There were outbursts at work. He was drinking too much. It all started to add up.

"There have been a thousand times looking back where my wife should have left me," he said.

Image courtesy of Seth Kastle.

Kastle and his wife stuck it out, though, and Kastle began to find ways to get through his battle.

He tried going to VA group therapy, but because of the time slots he could attend, the groups were all full of Vietnam veterans who were 30 years ahead of Kastle in their reintegration process. It wasn't the most helpful for his current state of mind. Eventually, he was able to find a therapy resource that worked, and it helped him get back on his feet and keep his marriage and life intact.

Single dad asks his daughters for fashion advice before a date and strangers on social media responded with some helpful suggestions.

But he still wasn't sure how to talk about what was going on, especially with his little girl.

PTSD resources to help you broach the topic with kids were lacking online. So, one day, Kastle came home from a bad day at work, sat down, and wrote a story about his experience with PTSD in 30 minutes. Then, he filed it away on his computer, not intending to ever see it again.

It wasn't until a close friend and fellow veteran published a book that Kastle was inspired to keep going with his own story.

Image courtesy of Seth Kastle.

Kastle created the children's book titled "Why Is Dad So Mad?" to help explain to his six-year-old daughter his struggles with PTSD. And when it was published, he read it to his daughter for the first time.

"There's a section in the book where I describe the anger and things associated with PTSD as a fire inside my chest," he said. "After I first read the book to my daughter, I remember her saying, 'I'm sorry you have a fire in your chest now, Dad.'"

"She was four at the time. That's something I'm always going to remember."

Image courtesy of Seth Kastle.

His daughter isn't the only one putting the pieces together from the book. Kastle receives frequent emails from appreciative parents trying to explain PTSD to their own children. And that gives Kastle all sorts of feelings, mainly because he never intended for his words to be for anyone but his own kids.

Image courtesy of NBC News.

"Why Is Dad So Mad?" has been such a success that he decided to co-write another version with his wife, who is also a veteran, called "Why Is Mom So Mad?"

Kastle hopes to help break the taboo on PTSD and start conversations about it with loved ones.

"There's a stigma associated with PTSD, and a lot of it is the warrior culture and masculinity that you need to be able to handle this," he said. "And if you can't, it's because you're weak."

But that's not true, and Kastle said if our military members have more resources to help talk about PTSD, reintegration back into home life could be a lot easier.

We need to fundamentally reexamine how new moms are cared for after childbirth.

According to the PTSD Foundation of America, one in three troops returning home are getting diagnosed with symptoms of PTSD, but less than 40 percent will ultimately seek help.

The stigma, shame, and discrimination around mental health issues is damaging for those who face symptoms as well as those who are close to them. We all play a role in tackling outdated views on mental health, and we can help shift attitudes by educating ourselves, listening more, and showing support to those who need it.

Kastle admits that it was extremely hard to walk into the clinic that first time, but seeking out that resource ultimately changed his life. More support and resources for our vets will create more success stories like his.

Image courtesy of Seth Kastle.

"I can easily admit that every piece of my life is better now that I took that step," he said.

And, now, the man who didn't even know what PTSD was is using his voice to educate a younger generation on it. That's how you chip away at a taboo.

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