A guide dog’s way of supporting his visually impaired owner through an eating disorder has amazed viewers online, leading to further appreciation for service animals and how promptly they respond to tasks.
Chloe Anderson, 24, shared a video on Instagram that highlights how Thumper, her Great Dane, helps her during challenging moments, particularly as she battles anxiety and dissociation related to an eating disorder and body dysmorphia.
The video shows Thumper sensing an increase in Anderson’s heart rate and noticing her fidgeting as she begins to dissociate. The dog’s training soon kicks in, and viewers can see him placing a reassuring paw on Anderson to bring her back to the present moment and calm her down.
@guidedane.thumper
“I have a service dog that helps me navigate the world around me as well as manage my eating disorder,” Anderson, who has multiple mental and physical disabilities, told Newsweek. “My service dog is task-trained to guide me out in public along with interrupting dissociation episodes during meal times, scent-trained to smell an increase in my heart rate and much more.”
Viewers were able to see Thumper’s attentive and intuitive actions in the clip that had been posted under @guidedane.thumper on May 22.
An overlaid text on the video read: “Showing how my service dog helps with my [eating disorder], starts to smell the increase in my heart rate, starts noticing my fidgeting as I start to dissociate, paws to snap me back.”
Once Anderson feels calmer and starts eating, Thumper visually checks to confirm her progress before leaving her to eat alone, satisfied that his job is done.
“After Thumper lets me know he is there and that everything is okay, he watches to make sure I take a bite [of my meal] before he walks away,” Anderson added.
The video has touched many hearts, amassing more than 16.6 million views on the platform and sparking conversation in the comments section about the important roles service dogs play in managing both physical and mental health conditions. Despite some unkind comments, Anderson expressed gratitude for the awareness the video has brought to the service dog community.
“When I posted this video, I did not expect the popularity it got, not all of the comments were nice, but I am happy that it brought attention and awareness to service dogs and shed a new light on ways service dogs can help people,” she said.
Service dogs like Thumper are trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate their handler’s disabilities. For Anderson, these conditions include orthostatic hypertension, Chiari malformation, chronic arthritis, autism, and having just one lung.
“As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a service animal is a dog that has been trained to perform tasks or do work that directly relates to its handler’s disability,” Sharon Wachsler, the owner and head trainer at At Your Service Dog Training, told Newsweek. “The dog’s work should mitigate the impact of the handler’s disability, thereby increasing safety or independence.
“These dogs are highly trained, with excellent manners and obedience.”
Thumper’s ability to interrupt dissociation episodes and provide a calming presence is invaluable for his owner. His actions during the meal demonstrate the critical, supportive role such dogs play, extending beyond traditional physical assistance to encompass emotional and psychological aid.
Anderson hopes that viewers online continue to see all the “amazing” things that service animals can do.
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