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By Leonie Helm
Life Reporter
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Working dogs have been helping humans with such tasks as farming and protecting their owners for centuries, a relationship that has developed into an astonishing symbiosis today, with dogs offering immense service to those who need a little extra help.
Lexx Marie, 30, from Las Vegas recently shared a video on her TikTok account showing how her amazing dog, Salem Black Sabbath, helps her out day to day.
In a video with over 351,000 views, Marie says, "I haven't been feeling good lately, which means Salem sticks close by and helps here and there. Here's great examples of him working for only praise in these videos. No treats involved. Just some love."
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While Marie lies in bed, Salem can be seen following simple commands, fetching her medication and then gently bringing her a soda to wash them down. Salem then jumps on the bed, looking pleased with himself and seeking scratches.
Later in the video, Marie tells Salem she's cold, and he immediately fetches her a blanket. She then asks, "Can you get the remote?" He rushes over to the exact spot where the remote controller is and brings it over.
Salem is clearly indispensable to Marie. In another video, she says, "He's my constant, my shadow, my protector. My soul." She also says that even if Salem is eating or playing, he will stop what he's doing to help her.
Both nonprofit and for-profit organizations train service dogs, the cost of which can exceed $25,000 according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
The Americans With Disabilities Act does not require service dogs to be professionally trained, and "individuals with disabilities have the right to train a service dog themselves and are not required to use a professional service dog trainer or training program," according to the AKC.
Marie trained Salem herself and has tutorials on how to train service dogs on her YouTube channel.
"Start with house training," suggests the AKC, "which should include eliminating waste on command in different locations. Socialize the dog with the objective of having them remain on task in the presence of unfamiliar people, places, sights, sounds, scents, and other animals. Teach the dog to focus on the handler and ignore distractions."
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In recent years, an "epidemic of fake service dogs" has emerged, where people "may fraudulently misrepresent their dogs as service animals," the AKC says.
"This harms the truly disabled, confuses the public, and affects the reputation of legitimate service dog users," the AKC continues. "Even worse, a poorly-trained fake service animal can be a danger to the public and to real service dogs. In response to this growing problem, the American Kennel Club issued a policy position statement called 'Misuse of Service Dogs.'"
Users on TikTok were in awe of Salem's skills.
"The way he walked slower with the soda as if trying not to shake it up too much," commented one user.
"The way he's so eager to help," said another.
Newsweek has reached out to Marie via email 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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