Dogs can be truly amazing creatures. They can be exceptional service animals, and even if they are not specially trained, they can be amazing companions for their humans. Jake is a 4-year-old black Labrador who was supposed to work in search and rescue, but he didn’t end up making the cut.
General Dave Clark said to InsideEdition.com, “Some dogs have sensitive paws and his were too tender for that work. He was referred to an adoption agency for service dogs. An employee in my office adopted him to try to retrain him.”
He was then put into training to work with handicapped people in the capacity of a service dog, but that didn’t end up working either. His previous training actually made this very difficult, because if he smelled death in any way, such as the smell of a cadaver, he would run towards it. The people who were training him felt that this would not work if he was going to be working with handicapped people, even if it only happened occasionally.
However, Jake’s owner, Rhoni Brooks Standefer, ended up taking Jake to her office, which is the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office in Tennessee. Everyone noticed how gentle, sensitive, and empathetic Jake was.
He happened to be there when they brought in a victim who had been injured and beaten severely and was very traumatized. She had a very difficult time talking about what had happened to her, but Jake’s presence was therapeutic to her.
She enjoyed having him there in that moment, and his presence was a great comfort to her. When they saw how helpful his presence was to her, it was an indication that he would be able to serve other victims in the same way.
This is how Jake came to be an emotional support dog. He supports victims in court and comes to the office to work three to four times every week.
General Clark went on to say that this dog has a real sense of when people need him. Jake actually goes up to them, gravitates towards them when they need his support, and will lay his head in their laps.
He has the same demeanor and discipline of the service dog he was originally trained to be, but the extreme empathy that he has for people is just part of this wonderful dogs personality.
He goes to court two days a week, and he will even stand up when the bailiff says, “All rise.” Clark goes on to say that they have not trained the dog to stand up in the situation, but he apparently does it because he sees everyone else there doing it.
Jake is just one example of how amazing and therapeutic dogs can be. So many people see them as just mere animals, but they can be so much more than that. They can truly help victims in a way that many people actually wouldn’t even be able to do because they know that sometimes the best thing they can do is just be there.
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