It happens every time. When I see a service dog with their person it touches something deep inside me. I have such respect and admiration for the work they do.

This past Saturday as John’s family and I greeted guests at the church who were there to express their condolences for the passing of my father-in-law and to share stories of their friend, at one point, I glanced to the front of the line to see Hank and his person, Randy.

My gratitude went out to this sweet dog for his dedication to Randy. As he moved down the line and approached my sister-in-law, Lori (I have five of them), Hank started to break protocol as a service dog. He butted the top of his head up under Lori’s hand and did it several more times.

The protocol is that a service dog is not to be pet when he is working. But Hank seemed to have a different plan and had ‘forgotten the rules.’ After several attempts that looked as if he was trying to get Lori to pet him, his tail began to wag wildly back and forth. This same action of bumping his head into the hands of the other family members continued as he approached each of us, and his tail continued to swish back and forth in enthusiasm.

It was hard to resist petting him and in being honest, we all started to break protocol too.

Or did we really break protocol? Maybe this is just what we all needed at the moment. Perhaps Hank sensed this and decided it was his honor and duty to not only be a service dog but to incorporate being a temporary therapy dog too.

It was certainly a welcome respite for many of the family members who are dog lovers.

Several hours later we gathered for dinner in the church fellowship hall. After we’d filled our plates and were seated I noticed Randy standing in line to get a plate of food with Hank still faithfully at his side. 

Now Hank was in his role as a service dog as he stood patiently by Randy’s side, no attempts to entice others for a pat on the head, and his tail resting down his backside. 

And my respect and gratitude grew even deeper at that moment for the role dogs play in our lives. Thank you, Hank, for your love and devotion to humanity. I’ll always remember this fondly.

xo,

Barbara