We all know that dogs are the best pets, but they still do not get as much appreciation as they deserve. Not only do these lovable pets cheer us up on our saddest day, they are always comfortable pillows. Yet there are dogs that go above and beyond just their position of a furry friend. Service dogs help thousands of people across the country.

First: This past month, I began working at a super rad organization called Canine Companions for Independence, and I have no other words to describe these pups but amazing. They’re super smart, kind and just adorable. These teeny boppin’ pups work five days a week getting trained to go out into the world to either be the eyes, ears, anti-depressant and support for our vets, kids, and peers. They do such a good job that Eukanuba sponsors them and a Scandal actor is raising $150K so that more of them can pop out. I even get the worst end of the dogs (their butts and poop) and I still love them!

Second: Dogs that do go through training, such as the ones at CCI, help individual’s lives and totally change them! My brother is on the lower end of the autism spectrum, where he is still non-verbal at age 7, but seeing his best friend Murphy (a golden mix 8 month pup) brings words out of my brother’s mouth. Every Saturday he asks for “Murphy doggy!” and runs out all of the energy that used to go to tantrums and pulling hair by running around with his only and best friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QYbAAsaCCk#action=share

Third: Dogs know things are ‘up’ before we humans do. From seeing ghosts, knowing where food is, to even hearing a car coming towards everyone on a sidewalk, dogs have much better reactions and I feel save more lives than we may.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSIJY6gTvPY

Fourth: Canines know when something is wrong and when we are hurting ourselves. They can be way more compassionate than your ex-boyfriend (they even kiss better). Especially for those who may be more inclined to hurt themselves and cannot control themselves to stop, dogs just know how to calm us down and make us feel better. Here’s the only tear-jerking evidence I really need, right?

Now I hope you are seeing a trend out of this. When I say that dogs should be considered more than a “Man’s Best Friend” what I am truly saying is that service dogs change lives and get very little attention or credit from the public. I understand that they may get free room and board, which all of us can only dream of, but I think we should raise their minimum wage. Or at least start helping and donate to more of these awesome training programs. Since autism prevalence is only rising in numbers across the country, more people could use a service dog, but there’s not many out there. A waiting period could take up to two years, and these dogs don’t have free tuition either (as in it cost money to train and house these dogs). So even though we are broke college kids, think about the broke college dogs too, they need some scholarships.

Sorry, service dogs don't work that way sport.