When Leo was a puppy, he was in coaching to be a service canine by means of Paws for Purple Hearts — however sadly, he failed out of this system.
“The short answer is that the standards to pass are incredibly high,” Samantha Welborn, Leo’s mother, advised The Dodo. “They name these dogs ‘career change dogs.’”
While Leo is very emotionally intelligent and very smart, he sometimes likes to use his smarts for his own personal gain, which is ultimately why his service dog training came to an end.
“It’s appeared apparent to me that Leo enjoys working when it’s on his phrases,” Welborn stated. “He did have a few behavioral issues, such as grabbing things off of counters or out of cupboards, that he wasn’t supposed to have.”
Welborn adopted Leo simply earlier than he turned 2. Three years later, Leo nonetheless remembers a few of his coaching — and likes to place it to random use.
“Leo loves to bring me things every day, especially when he wants to go for a walk,” Welborn stated. “I always find him waiting right outside the shower with a few clothing items for me. He will also bring me things he isn’t supposed to have, almost as if he is asking for permission.”
Leo brings his mother random issues to try to assist her prepare to go away the home since that’s what he was educated to do — however he does it on his phrases, not hers. He makes use of his expertise to encourage his mother to do issues like take him on walks, which wasn’t what his trainers had in thoughts, however for Leo, it really works simply advantageous.
While Leo might not have graduated and gone on to be a service canine, quite a lot of his coaching caught with him, and his mother is fairly constructive he would have excelled on the emotional assist a part of the job.
“If I am stressed, anxious or upset, he will always try to get my attention on him,” Welborn stated. “I’ve been around a lot of incredibly intelligent dogs, but Leo is by far the most emotionally intelligent dog I’ve ever known.”
Leo isn’t a service canine, however that doesn’t cease him from making an attempt to assist his mother each single day, whether or not she wants it or not.
