These Photos Of Service Dogs Visiting Disneyland Will Make Your Dreams Come True
Two of the greatest things in life are inarguably puppies and Disneyland. I'll just go ahead and recommend that you don't argue with me on this, because it isn't an opinion — it's merely a fact of life. I'll have you know that in light of my avid love for all things Disney, I've wished upon a helluva a lot of stars in my 23 years of living... but never have I had the unthinkable opportunity to witness anything more glorious than these photos of service dogs visiting Disneyland. They seriously made all of my lifelong dreams come true.
Canine Companions for Independence is a super special group that trains smart pups to be service dogs. And if you haven't already heard about what they've most recently been up to, their volunteer "puppy raisers" embarked on one of the most historical and utterly ground-breaking field trips of all time... aka, they brought a bunch of puppies-in-training to Disneyland. And oh boy, was it a sight it see. Based off the photos, the puppers got the chance to meet Chip, Dale, and Tigger, pose in front of the iconic Mickey ferris wheel, wear Mickey ears, and even sit in the spinning teacups together. It truly redefined the meaning of "magical," if you ask me.
According to the press release recounting the glorious experience, the doggos' trip to the absolute happiest place on earth helped them learn to socialize, because it introduced them to a variety of different and unusual sights, sounds, crowds, and smells. One of my favorite things about it, though, is that it happened to make way for some really freaking adorable photo opportunities. I mean, just glancing at these leaves my heart literally melting into a giant puddle on the floor. For real, just look at all of them. The dogs are having so much fun, and I just can't handle it. Ugh, jeez — I'm not crying, you're crying.
According to a press release, Canine Companions for Independence actually breeds, raises, and trains all of their service dogs. They have a group of responsible volunteers to raise the pups for a full year and a half before they go into training. Then, they're turned into one of the Canine Companions training centers for six to nine months of professional training to learn even more advanced skills. Some of these skills include learning to pick up and return dropped items to their handlers, open and close doors and drawers, and turn lights on and off. Once the pups complete all of their rigorous training, they're placed with recipients free of charge to ultimately assist children, adults, and veterans with disabilities. At this point, they can officially be considered certified good boys. Ugh, OK, I can't handle all of these emotions. I want graduation pics from this year's Canine Companions class, guys. Please and thank you.
If you're as enthusiastic about this entire organization as I am, you can learn more about Canine Companions for Independence by checking out their website. Most importantly, you can join their program to become a volunteer puppy raiser — and though it sounds like remarkably hard work, I'm thinking that it might actually be my true calling.
So if you haven't already cried today, sorry about all of this, because seeing Canine Companions at Disneyland had to have sparked a few tears... unless you're like, a robot, of course. If you think Disneyland is fun, just imagine how much fun all of these curious puppers had. The idea of being there with them is kind of unimaginable, but it sounds like the greatest experience in the world. Combining the happiest place on earth with the happiest animals on earth is truly mind blowing, and TBH, the photos are giving me hella FOMO.
