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A black dog lies on the floor.

Grab your tissues, if there are any even left after the world sees this video.

With Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" underscoring, we see a young man in pajamas sitting on a bed wearing noise-cancelling headphones. A tail-wagging black dog approaches as the TikTok chyron shares: "POV: Your autistic son was always afraid of dogs until..."

@lifeotspectrum

They were looking for each other ❤️ 🎥: @thecheyenneagains (TT) #autism #therapydog

We see him doing, perhaps, some self-soothing stimming, as he timidly reaches out to pet the dog, but his trepidation pulls him back. It then reads, "A stray dog randomly shows up at your house and changed everything."

As he continues to show interest, but is held back by fear, the dog sits…and waits, "allowing him the patience and time needed to work through his fears." He crosses his arms and the dog…just…keeps…waiting, while carefully sitting close enough to convey that he's safe.

We see a smile from the young man. "Gunner created a safe space and allowed my son to trust," the chyron continues. And then—his smile got even warmer as he bravely reaches out his hand and gently strokes the dog on his head.

 man, dog, petting, love, animals A man and a dog stand near a dock.  Photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash  

The music ceases and he now feels more comfortable petting sweet Gunner. The final chyron reads, "Gunner is the best." And if that wasn't heartwarming enough, Gunner the dog turns around, faces the camera and appears to smile.

Originally posted on the @thecheyenneagains TikTok page and then reposted by Life on the Spectrum (@Lifeotspectrum), this video has half a million likes and thousands of comments. It clearly resonates with people in the spectrum community, dog-lovers, and just plain humans with hearts.

One top commenter writes, "Dog understands autism better than 95 percent of people." Another shares how lovely it is to see Gunner show so much patience and understanding. "Gunner read his body language and energy perfectly and said 'it’s ok dude, I can wait take your time it will be worth it.'" Another shares a similar sentiment, "Gunner just knew. What a brilliant dog and probably life-changing for this young man too."

As a follow-up, the OP shares another video of Gunner soothing her son after what she describes was a "tough day." In this clip, she shares that her son's name is Brodey and we see him again gently petting Gunner as the two look at one another.

@thecheyenneagains

Replying to @LuciaR they are so sweet together and Gunner just knows what to do ❤️ #creatorsearchinsights #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #viral #viralvideo #viraltiktok #autism #autismawareness #dog #dogsoftiktok #dogs #doglover

A commenter here writes, "Some dogs show up specifically to heal a part of your soul," to which the adoring mother writes, "He just loves Brodey."

Another shares the belief that the two are soul-healing: "I love dogs so much. This is amazing. Not even trained service dog, yet knows exactly what your precious boy needs. I think you found his soul dog."

And don't think Gunner isn't getting some great TikTok attention. After what appears to be a run-in with some skunks, he gets a bath and a talking to.

@thecheyenneagains

Gunner thought it would be a great idea to try and mess with a 🦨!!! 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 please pray for me #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #fypage #trending #dog #dogs #dogsoftiktok #doglover #gross #nose #bath #bathtime #clean #baddog

 

Mom asks him, "Are you gonna mess with the skunks again? Was it worth it? No more skunks. Good grief!" A commenter playfully replies, "He absolutely said yes to both questions."

A man holding up a baseball at an MLB game.

One of a fan's greatest thrills watching a live baseball game is catching a home run ball. For dog lovers, the only thing better than catching one yourself is letting your dog do the honors.

On Saturday, March 25, a Dodger fan wearing a “K-9” jersey was over the moon after his dog caught a home run ball during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The dog was wearing a service dog vest, which made his amazing feat even sweeter.

The Dodgers were losing to the Kansas City Royals 5-2 in the 7th inning when prospect Michael Busch put a ball over the fence. After the scramble for the ball on the outfield lawn was settled, a joyous-looking canine could be seen proudly holding the ball in its mouth.


The dog looked like it's played more than a few rounds of fetch in its day.

The crowd erupted in cheers to salute the lucky dog. After a brief struggle, his owner, wearing the K-9 jersey, took the ball from the dog’s mouth and held it high above his head in celebration.

The video received some of the cutest responses on Twitter.

"Sign the dog @Dodgers," @mookiebag wrote.

"Service dog really being a service," @tonyforthemostpart added.

Many folks also hoped that the man in the K-9 jersey handed the ball to a kid after the celebration.

Sadly, that was the last bit of excitement for the Dodger fans at the game. The Royals won the game 6-3. The dog has yet to be signed to a major league contract.

True

Marine veteran Paul Coppola is a wonderful example of the transformational power of service dogs.

Ten years ago, he was rocked by two explosions in an attack that took the lives of 17 Marines in Afghanistan. The attack left Coppola with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and an injured back.

Coppola didn't think his struggles warranted a service dog but after prodding from his wife, he was paired with Dobby, a four-year-old black Lab mix trained by veteran organization Operation Delta Dog.

Dobby and Paul soon became best friends and partners in life.


Dobby helps Paul with simple tasks such as opening accessible doors and eases his anxiety by giving him something to focus on in stressful situations. Paul is also a source of support for Dobby, a rescue dog who also suffers from anxiety.

"He's given me my freedom back, really," Paul says. "I have to admit the fact that he's saved my life."

Today, Paul volunteers at Operation Delta Dog where he acts as a mentor and provides living proof of the positive effect service dogs can have in the lives of veterans.

Paul's journey was recently profiled by Chewy in the video above entitled, "A Day in the Life of a Veteran and His Service Dog."

via Stratford Festival / Twitter

Service dogs are invaluable to their owners because they are able to help in so many different ways.

They're trained to retrieve dropped Items, open and close doors, help their owners remove their clothes, transport medications, navigate busy areas such as airports, provide visual assistance, and even give psychological help.

The service dog trainers at K-9 Country Inn Working Service Dogs in Canada want those who require service dogs to live the fullest life possible, so they're training dogs on how to attend a theatrical performance.

The adorable photos of the dogs made their way to social media where they quickly went viral.

 

On August 15, a dozen dogs from Golden Retrievers to poodles, were treated to a performance of "Billy Elliott" at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada. This was a special "relaxed performance" featuring quieter sound effects and lighting, designed for those with sensory issues.

RELATED: This service dog and veteran are raising awareness for PTSD in inspiring ways

"It's important to prepare the dogs for any activity the handler may like to attend," Laura Mackenzie, owner and head trainer at K-9 Country Inn Working Service Dogs, told CBC.

"The theater gives us the opportunity to expose the dogs to different stimuli such as lights, loud noises, and movement of varying degrees," she continued. "The dogs must remain relaxed in tight quarters for an extended period of time."

The dogs got to enjoy the show from their own seats and took a break with everyone else during intermission. They were able to familiarize themselves with the theater experience so they know how to navigate through crowds and fit into tight bathroom stalls.

via Stratford Festival / Twitter


via Stratford Festival / Twitter


via Stratford Festival / Twitter

"About a dozen dogs came to our relaxed performance, and they were all extremely well-behaved," says Stratford Festival spokesperson Ann Swerdfager. "I was in the lobby when they came in, then they took their seats, then got out of their seats at intermission and went back — all of the things we learn as humans when we start going to the theater."

RELATED: This sneaky guide dog is too pure for this world. A hilarious video proves it.

The dogs' great performance at the trial run means that people who require service animals can have the freedom to enjoy special experiences like going to the theater.

"It's wonderful that going to the theater is considered one of the things that you want to train a service dog for, rather than thinking that theater is out of reach for people who require a service animal, because it isn't," Swerdfager said.

The Stratford Festival runs through Nov. 10 and features productions of "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "The Neverending Story," "Othello," "Billy Elliot," "Little Shop of Horrors," "The Crucible" and more.

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