Service dogs can often be lifesaving tools for people living with various disabilities, with one woman displaying her dog's skills in action in a now viral video.
TikToker @serviceaussiebailey, which references owner Katie's dog's name Bailey, posted the video earlier this month, which has now received 11 million views.
In the video,@serviceaussiebaileywrites, whose full name is Katherine Graham, captions the footage as if they're subtitles explaining what Bailey is thinking as he goes through the motions to help her.
"Mom your heart it's beating too fast," she writes over footage of the dog jumping up on Graham.
"You need to get down before you get hurt," the subtitles continue as Bailey jumps up again onto his owner.
After she lays down on the ground the dog "says": "Oh no."
"Hold on mom, I'll help," the subtitles read as Bailey exits the frame. He comes back with a pill bottle in his mouth that he drops onto Graham.
"Take these."
"Why aren't you taking them? Hold on," the subtitle reads as Bailey leaves the frame to retrieve a bottle of water for his owner.
"I got you water."
"Stay awake please," the subtitle reads as Graham sits up.
"Living alone can be so scary with a disability," Graham captioned the video. "I am so grateful for Bailey."
According to Graham's account, she lives with POT syndrome—a condition that affects a person's blood flow. Symptoms can include the onset of lightheadedness, fainting and an uncomfortable, rapid increase in heartbeat—that come on when standing up from a reclining position and are relieved by sitting or lying back down, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Graham wrote to Newsweek that in her case POTS has affected her "tremendously" since she first began experiencing symptoms when she was 16-years-old.
"I had constant migraines, I was fatigued and I would be nauseous all the time. As I grew older my symptoms had gotten significantly worse," she said. "I ended up having a genetic kidney issue that caused me to have reoccurring infections. I was hospitalized multiple times. The infections pushed my POTS symptoms to become more severe. I also had COVID back in August of 2020. After that, I would faint multiple times a day. It was terrifying and so lonely."
According to usserviceanimals.org, a service dog can be trained to notice when their owner may be experiencing a fainting spell or other similar symptoms.
"The dogs can bark or use physical contact to alert you of an impending episode. This way, you can be aware of the situation and know that a fainting episode may be near," the website explains.
A dog's presence can also help a person "steady" themselves if they begin to feel disoriented or better understand "spatial surroundings." Dogs can also be trained to retrieve items for an owner, as witnessed in the video.
Graham said that when she got Bailey in 2016, he was just eight weeks old. She trained him herself with the help of trainers and other service dog handlers.
She said for a long time she thought her symptoms were a result of low iron, but Bailey began to notice her high heart rate right before she would pass out.
"He was never trained to do this before and it is what pushed me to go see a cardiologist to get a diagnosis," she said. "Since then, I have trained him to do many tasks in order to help me stay awake. He will pick up things I drop so I do not have to bend over, he will go get my medicine or water from the fridge. He will take off my socks."
As seen in the video, Graham says he jumps on her to alert her to the fact that her heart rate as increased so she can lay down.
"Once I lay down he does deep pressure therapy, basically he puts his body weight on my legs in order to help with circulation. If I do pass out he is trained to lick my hands and face to try and wake me," she said.
She says he also helps to disrupt some of the "psychiatric tics" she's developed such as picking at her skin, scratching her legs or biting her nails.
Graham says she trusts Bailey with her life.
The comment section under the viral video became a place for other dog owners to explain their own pet's less than impressive skills.
"[M]y dog pooped on the carpet after being outside for 20 minutes," one commenter wrote.
"My dog peed on my clean clothes," said another.
Others spoke to the emotional chord the video struck.
"People have no idea how much POTS affects your life," one commenter wrote accompanied by a crying emoji.
"[W]hy did [I] start crying," wrote another.
Many echoed the sentiment: " We don't deserve dogs."
Graham said what is shown in the video was caught in real time because she had set up a camera once Bailey alerted her about her heart rate.
"I decided to let it play out and to put his training to the test," she said. "He did everything he was trained to do, I was so proud. I rely on him to keep me safe. Without him I could not be independent."
