Dogs really are our best friends, and they can often be so much more than that. They can be family members, as well as heroes. For Hayley Martin, her service dog, Marley, is a combination of all of those.
Like many people on the autism spectrum, Martin often suffers from sensory overload and, worse still, panic attacks.
That’s where Marley comes in.
Martin has raised Marley from puppyhood, and he’s been trained on spotting panic attacks and then dealing with them!
It helps that he’s one of the prettiest dogs I’ve ever seen! Below is a photo of Marley at just fifteen weeks old.
He’s grown quite a bit although he’s still very young! He’s also become a certified service dog and he’s very good at what he does!
Martin shared a touching video on Facebook of Marley helping her through a panic attack to demonstrate how he does it and how well he does his job.
Martin wrote about her experience and explained the process in which Marley helps her pass through a panic attack!
“I can hit myself as a stimming type thing ad a self regulation to try and calm myself down
But Marley is trained to interupt that behaviour
See how he gets his paws and fact right between my arms and my face and pulls them away into a forced hug”
Marley serves a dual purpose during these episodes.
He forces himself into Martin’s space so that she is interrupted in her tendencies to hit herself, and he also provides a calming, soothing presence to bring her out of an elevated emotional state.
“He is also licking my tears”
We all understand getting attached to our animals. We think of our pets as family, and there’s evidence to suggest dogs think of us as family as well.
But service dogs are a whole other level.
This goes beyond a familial connection. Service dogs have their owner’s lives in their paws.
It’s a little like having a partner that you work with as well. You spend all of your time together and you have such an understanding that you can pretty much speak your own language.
Maybe you don’t even need to speak at all!
You just kind of understand each other.
It doesn’t take much to understand that’s the kind of connection Hayley and Marley share.
They practically radiate love off of each other!
They go beyond best friends, they are life companions.
Marley has also gained some fame over time for being such a good dog, and a handsome boy on top of that.
Martin was lucky enough to meet one of her celebrity icons, Scott Hoying, who recognised Marley immediately.
If that doesn’t speak to their fame, I don’t know what will!
From just a puppy (albeit an extremely adorable one) to a certified assistance dog, to a viral sensation, Marley has had quite the life already!
The video of Marley supporting Martin and pulling her out of a panic attack has already been shared over 7500 times, with over 25000 likes!
We’re beyond impressed with this pup (and how great he looks in his official gear).
You can visit Marley’s Instagram to keep up with his adventures, and click this link to see Marley in action.
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