Canine Assistants has been providing service dogs to people with disabilities for years, but the people at the Atlanta-based non-profit recently found themselves involved in a bit of a role reversal when their dogs required a bit of assistance. The organization recently welcomed a puppy named Pirelli who was born without a foot but is now working toward recovery, NBC affiliate WXIA reports.
If Pirelli was born anywhere else, there's a very good chance he may have been put down, but the experts at Canine Assistants thought differently. During his first few months of life, he has been receiving special training so he can be outfitted with a prosthetic foot. Once he's ready, he will be brought to schools throughout the Atlanta area to serve as inspiration to young children.
"I think the fact that he has a disability of his own is going to be incredible in teaching people that it's irrelevant, that life is not about what your body can do," Canine Assistants founder Jennifer Arnold told the news channel. "It's about who you are on the inside not the outside."
Service dogs like Pirelli serve a vital role in the community. Their importance is evidenced by how helpful they have been to 3-year-old Faith Wilson. The young Texas girl has a rare form of diabetes that needs to be constantly monitored. To help her out, her parents adopted a diabetic alert dog, Ruby, who is specially trained to detect if her owner's blood sugar level falls below a certain level, ABC affiliate KLTV reports. To Faith's mother, Sarah, Ruby has been life changing.
"I know if it weren't for Ruby, I would have already buried my child," she told the news channel. "So I don't even want to think about life without Ruby."
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