Service dogs are trained to respond to a variety of health issues and concerns, from sudden spikes in the glucose levels of a diabetic person to the onset of an epileptic seizure. There are very few things dogs can’t do nowadays. One person who understands the fluffy power of a service animal is Amber Oliver.
Amber is a certified professional dog trainer – but she also suffers from debilitating panic attacks.
She successfully trained her own five-year-old dog, Oakley, to pick up on any changes in her body temperature, breathing pace and heart rate that could signal an impending panic attack. Amazingly, Oakley is able to detect Amber’s panic attacks before they even consume her.
While waiting for a flight at the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky International Airport, Amber captured Oakley’s incredible service dog skills on video.
Now her video of Oakley’s impressive reaction to an upcoming panic attack is going totally viral…
Amber’s camera rolls as Oakley suddenly springs into action, spins around, wags his tail furiously and whimpers. He immediately recognizes that Amber is in the midst of an emotional crisis and knows how to stop her worries in their tracks!
After getting her attention with his whimpers, Oakley follows the next step of his training. He places himself directly in her face! Amber shared that he has been trained to break her hands apart and navigate them away from her face.
You can see Oakley’s attempts to distract Amber. She has trained him to help her move her hands onto his body instead, which helps calm her down.
Once Amber focuses on rubbing her pup, he leans his stocky body across her legs as if to protect her, then pushes himself in between her knees where she wraps her arms around him, scratches his chest and nuzzles him with her face.
Not only does this cuddle session help Amber forget about her panic attack, but it’s also a nice moment for Oakley as well!
He lovingly sits there, letting her cling to him as if he’s her life jacket in a stormy sea of panic attacks. Without his help and encouragement, Amber easily could’ve been a crying heap in the corner of her airport gate. Oakley is proof that humans and canines are meant to be best friends. What an incredible dog!
Watch how this talented dog detects then distracts his owner as she ebbs and flows in and out of her uncomfortable state.
