I sure wish I had this growing up!

A school in the UK has adopted a puppy as part of an initiative to help the students. Arnie, the King Charles Spaniel, will help the children through anxiety relief according to a story in The Evening Express. 

The system is called “PAWS,” or, “Pupils’ Attainment and Well-being strategy.”

According to the story Arnie is believed to be the first school dog of his kind in the UK!

The school’s principal told the paper:

“There has been a lot of research that has shown there are many benefits for children, young people and adults who come into contact with dogs.

“They help with literacy and the presence of a dog can have quite a calming affect.”

They believe it will be beneficial to all in the school!

Image via The Evening Express

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Among the hardships for shelter-bound pups is the lack of space and freedom to run. One high school in Santa Barbara found a fix for this problem…

According to a story in The Dodo, the cross country team at St. Joseph High School decided to invite the dogs on their morning runs!

“I am not sure who was more excited and having the most fun … the dogs or the kids,” coach Luis Escobar wrote. “Either way, it was a great time and I am sure we will do it again sometime soon.”

Check out the video below!

We can only hope this becomes a trend!

Images via Luis Escobar 

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If you’ve ever felt like your pups were better than your human friends, you’re not wrong. Science will back you up! A new study shows that our canine companions are better company than out human counterparts.

A story on Shareably compiled the following survey-based facts:

Over 1/4 of pet parents believe that their pets are more accepted within their families than their partners.

61% of pet parents would end a relationship for their pet and more than half of the participants would trust their dog’s judgment before their mother’s.

Over 1/4 of participants have brought their dogs on a date and 85% of pet parents are more likely to “swipe right” on a photo that included a dog.

Over 1/4 of pet parents have planned a special date for themselves and their pet.

95% of dog owners would rather spend the night at home cuddling with their dog than on a blind date.

56% of pet parents prefer to share the bed with their pet AND their partners, rather than just their partners.

Almost 70% of participants admitted that they would sacrifice alone time with their significant others for their pets.

45% of pet parents spend more money on their pet than their partner every month.

87% of pet parents would get their pet a Valentine’s Day gift.

Staggering numbers! No doubt we love our pets, and with good reason!

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Sometimes, all you need to feel a little safer in troubling times is a hug.

These two pups were found on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, lost, scared but comforted by each other’s physical presence and the pictures of their journey have gone viral.

The two puppies were largely ignored by the city’s residents until they were taken in by two Buddhist nuns. They rescued them and brought them back to their temple where they could be given shelter and a home.

Even after being rescued, though, the hugging kept going! The bigger male pup continued to hold onto his female companion to make sure she was okay.

Nobody knows what these two have been through, but it’s nice to know they’re now safe and still looking out for each other!

Images via Daily Mail

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Most dogs, it seems, have a sixth sense for knowing when the people they love are down. In my experience, the dogs I’ve loved have always known when to comfort me when I’m upset. The same goes for this dog, Maggie, who was seen on security cameras comforting her fellow puppies according to a story in Shareably.

At Barkers Pet Motel and Grooming in Canada, employees noticed something interesting during a normal day of work on the security monitors…

A small litter of pups who had been restless earlier was being comforted by Maggie. Apparently, Maggie had snuck out of her own kennel and managed her way into the puppies’ in order to comfort them and make them feel better.

Maggie stuck by their side and stayed with them for the rest of the night!

Just goes to show how incredible dogs are at knowing when their companions need help.

Images via Shareably

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Sometimes with dogs one isn’t enough. For Lya Battle, there can never be enough.

Battle, who lives in Costa Rica, first decided to rescue dogs when visiting a shelter to buy food for her dog and saved a pup who was about to be put down.

According to The Dodo, the dog, named Diego was given to Battle who was told he wouldn’t survive much longer. Battle took Diego home who then lived four more happy years. From that point, it was her goal to save as many dogs as she could, seeing that Costa Rica doesn’t have a good infrastructure for rescues.

Battle, who had just inherited a farm of about 150-acres, took it upon herself to create a place where dogs could be safe and free.

Battle and her husband named the farm “Territorio de Zaguates” which means “Land of the Mutts,” and declared it a no-kill sanctuary for all dogs who need saving.

The dogs are supervised at all times and several are adopted each week.

“No matter how hard it’s been, it’s always been worthwhile,” Battle told The Dodo. “If something is terribly difficult, and it takes all you have — both materially and emotionally — but you still do it, that’s because you’ve found what really calls to you.”

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Meet Loryn: a Golden Retriever who has grown up helping take care of her human mom’s farm.

Her owner, Andrea Holley says of Loryn, “She is truly a mother hen and takes in every baby we have here as her own,” according to an interview in The Dodo. Apparently Loryn takes her job as the mother hen of the farm very seriously–even to the point of fostering and taking care of the baby goats!

The farm’s goats–who are named Mia, Henry, Delilah, and Daisy Mae–took a quick liking to Loryn, cuddling up to her and vice versa.

“Goats are the most loving, easygoing creatures,” Holley told The Dodo. “They loved Loryn right away. They are together all day, every day.”

The goats are still very young and need to be taken care of closely in their pen, and Loryn has taken that job very seriously.

“Loryn is my right-hand man and always helps corral the babies when we’re outside or round them up while playing inside,” Holley said. “She most definitely thinks they are her babies.”

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I’m sure most dog lovers have heard a story or two about our canines becoming fast friends with unlikely animals. This blog even recently covered a story about a horse and doberman friendship–but these stories all perhaps pale in comparison to this one.

In the city of Erode, India, this monkey not only became friends with a stray puppy, but took him under his wing, protecting him from other local wildlife that might do him harm.

A story in Zee News writes:

“People who have seen them spoke of their strong mutual affection and described their bond as the most caring thing in the world — to take care of a puppy in danger and protect him like a parent. Their undying affection gives us a valuable lesson about relationships.”

The monkey and puppy duo do everything together from eat and sleep and play. Perhaps our animal companions in some cases have more humanity than we give them credit for.

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Stories like Poppy’s, a young dog from Botswana, should be inspiring to all. After sustaining an unknown injury to her spine at a young age, she was left paralyzed to die in the middle of nowhere.

Yet Poppy persevered. Out in the wilds, she crawled with her front legs only past elephant, lions and hyenas in order to make it back to civilization, according to a story in The Dodo.

Poppy found herself eventually in a research camp for elephants where Susanne Vogel found the poor pup wandering into their facilities.

“She came crawling — literally crawling, because her back legs were completely immobilized — into our research camp,” Vogel told The Dodo. “She was unable to walk, but full of love and seeking help.”

According to Vogel’s recollection, the nearest veterinarian hospital was an eight-mile drive from their research site, but they managed to help Poppy and bring her there for help.

“The camp is in a remote region, filled with elephants, but also lions, hyenas and other predators,” Vogel said. “Poppy had somehow made it to us, emaciated and soaking wet from the rain.”

The vet performed life-saving surgery on Poppy, who now is staying with her research pals in Bostwana, and her story reminds us every day that no matter how hard things get, you can never give up.

Images via Amanda Stronza 

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