Like many young women, Jaquie Blake spends quite a bit of time on Instagram. What sets Jaquie apart is that she has more than 70,000 faithful followers devoted to watching her service dog, Harlow learn and grow.
Over the past 15 months, Harlow has been honing her skills and training to become Jaquie’s right hand. She has already mastered opening and closing the fridge, putting away laundry and beverage delivery.
Here she is adorably helping her mom with her socks:
20-year-old Jaquie suffers from a disorder of the autonomic nervous system called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Common symptoms include migraines, narcolepsy, dizziness and frequent fainting spells.
Thankfully Harlow is there to alert her to an impending medical episode and assist her with her physical limitations. The honey colored Golden Retriever is a medical alert and mobility service dog – jobs she takes very seriously.
Harlow can retrieve her own leash, Jaquie’s house keys and even grab grocery items from the lower shelves that Jaquie has trouble accessing.
She can open the refrigerator, deliver a bottle of water so that Jaquie can take her medication and return to close the fridge – a task that garnered more than 55,000 views on Instagram.
Jaquie told CBC News that having Harlow in her life has opened up a whole new world of normalcy that she could never have experienced without the faithful pup.
“Without her, I would be very limited in what I could do with my life. Leaving the house by myself would be out of the question, let alone [pursuing] a college education and eventually my dream career (occupational therapist).”
Jaquie began sharing her journey with Harlow via the Instagram account helper_dog_harlow about a year ago. Since then the energetic pup has transformed into the loyal, committed service dog she is today. Jaquie believes it is that journey that has so captivated her ever-growing number of followers.
They love watching Harlow’s little triumphs as she takes on and masters a new task like opening and closing the dishwasher or picking up items that Jaquie has dropped.
Jaquie is proud that Harlow is helping to break some of the stereotypes surrounding service dogs. To look at Jaquie you would never suspect the beautiful, vibrant young woman was anything but the portrait of health.
She wants the world to know that not all people who require a service dog are noticeably disabled, but that doesn’t mean that the dog’s job is less important.
Remember to respect that a service dog is at work when he or she is in public with their master – no matter how adorable they may be, resist the urge to distract them.
