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By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
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Service dogs are an incredible asset to people dealing with both physical and mental problems that can impact their daily lives, and there are about 500,000 service dogs working throughout the U.S.
A woman on TikTok known as Melody has shared how she repays her service dog Autumn for all her hard work.
The video was originally posted to the account @melody.autumn in January of this year and amassed over 3.8 million views, and has recently gone viral again after being posted to the account @dogrescue1016, where it received over 450,000 views.
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In the video Melody writes: "Sometimes I pretend to shop so I can surprise my service dog with a toy. I always want Autumn to feel appreciated for the hard work she does. To her the hedgehog brightens her day. But she brightens my life and helps make it easier."
Autumn can be seen in a store walking along with a stuffed hedgehog in her mouth.
Melody then lists some of the incredible ways Autumn helps her with tasks.
"Some tasks include finding medication through scent," she writes. "Alerting to my medication wearing off through scent. Responding to medication / water retrievals. Helping me get her leash. Performing deep pressure therapy and so much more. I love you Autumn you deserve the world."
The caption reads: "Autumn specializes in allergy + psychiatric alert & response. Aside from high food rewards, I love surprising her with toys. I'll pretend to shop by looking at things and when I'm done, we head over to the pet section so she can pick whatever toy she likes. Sometimes she picks the more expensive ones so we don't do this all the time which is why she least expects it. Aside from being my service dog, Autumn is my fur child and I love her more than words can express."
Over the last decade service dogs have emerged as a main stream aid for people with disabilities, both mental and physical. "However, more problems have arisen, and these may be caused by a lack of understanding of service dog training, working functions, and access to public facilities," according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). AKC Government Relations is "working with members of Congress, regulatory agencies, leading service dog trainers and providers, and transportation and hospitality industry groups to find ways to address these issues."
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According to the AKC, in the 1920s, a service dog was typically a guide dog trained to assist an individual with a hearing or visual disability, and German shepherds were the most commonly used breed. "Today, service dogs belonging to many different breeds are trained. They perform a variety of tasks to assist disabled individuals," the AKC adds.
Users on TikTok loved the video.
"Listen, I tore the side of my eye so I can't release these tears or it'll burn," said one user. "I'm grateful she has you to be her world," wrote another.
"Good job Autumn," commented another user.
Newsweek has reached out to @melody.autumn via TikTok for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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