キュートなこのワンちゃんの名前はハーロウ。コスモポリタンイギリス版によると、＜Instagram＞ですでに10万4,000人のフォロワーがいるほどの人気なのだそう。でも、ハーロウちゃんが単なる可愛いゴールデンリトリバーだと思ったら大間違い。実は洗濯、食材の買い物、食器洗浄機のお手伝いなどができる、極めて優秀な介助犬なんだとか。

ハーロウちゃんは慢性疾患を抱えるジャッキー・ブレイクの日常的な用事を助けるという、重要な役割を担っているとのこと。

ジャッキーは起立性頻脈症候群（POTS）という病気を患っており、物を持ち上げたり、背中を前に倒すことが困難なんだとか。そのため、座ったり、立ったりする時に心拍数が以上に高くなってしまうそう。

ハーロウは命令に応じて乾燥機から服を取り出す、床から物を拾う、水入りのボトルなどを持ってくるなどの用事をこなすことができるんだそう。

ジャッキー自身も10万8,000人のフォロワーを持ち、ハーロウが生後8カ月のとき以来、介助犬としての進歩を記録しているんだとか。＜Instagram＞アカウントを開いて以来、その人気は1つのビデオにつき2万8,000回以上視聴され、画像は6,000以上の「いいね！」されるほど。

Today my girl and I ventured into Orlando's Outlet Mall, a densely populated venue. 🛍 Check out my body awareness and directional drills I'm demonstrating in the video such as "closer," "center," and "finish!" 🐾 All of these commands are imperative for my girl and I to move cohesively as a team through the thick crowds. 👌 While we were here, we saw several other dogs - None of them behaving very well. I did a great job of ignoring them, making my girl very proud! 😁 17 Months #GoodGirl #Shopping #Orlando #Dog #ServiceDogInTraining #ServiceDog #WorkingDog #DogTraining #DogsOfInstagram #Cute #GoldenRetriever #Puppy #Instapuppy #PuppyLove @GloriousGoldens #InvisibleIllness #ChronicIllness #Spoonie #Disability #Asthma #Allergies #Epilepsy #Narcolepsy #Migraine #Dysautonomia #POTS #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #Fatigue #ChronicPain #Instagood

A video posted by A service pup in training! ♿🐾 (@helper_dog_harlow) on

そんなハーロウは現在生後17カ月。「今日はご主人様と一緒にオーランドのアウトレットモールを訪問中。『もっと近くに』、『真ん中』、『終わり！』など、命令に従う訓練を受けてているよ」というキャプションとともにある日のビデオを紹介している。

Puppies such as myself are especially explorative with our sniffers and because of this, grocery store training can be of particular difficulty. 😬 Just imagine all the tasty aromas in the air as well as the food placed directly at nose level! 👃 Throughout my service dog training @Chronically_Jaquie has taught me how to maintain self-control when surrounded by the many tasty temptations. 🍎🍗 Before I required constant redirection, and now I'm finally able to retrieve certain food items for my girl - without eating them! 👏 Also notice that I'm ignoring the pork chops right beside me. 😏 Of course I still make mistakes every now and then as I'm only halfway through my training. 🐾 But so far, I'm doing a great job! And don't worry, I get plenty of "off-duty" time to use my sniffer however I please. 😉 14 Months #goodgirl #sniff #Publix #shopping #servicedogintraining #servicedog #workingdog #dogtraining #dogsofinstagram #cute #goldenretriever #puppy #instapuppy #puppylove #gloriousgoldens #invisibleillness #chronicillness #spoonie #disability #epilepsy #narcolepsy #asthma #migraine #dysautonomia #POTS #gastroparesis #ehlersdanlossyndrome #hypermobility #fatigue #chronicpain

A photo posted by A service pup in training! ♿🐾 (@helper_dog_harlow) on

「こういった命令は極めて大事。お店には他にも介助犬がいたけど、私はきちんと行動し、ご主人様に誇りに思ってもらったよ！」

ハーロウは生後14カ月の時点ですでに立派な自制心を披露。「私みたいな子犬はクンクン匂いを嗅ぐことが好きなので、スーパーでの訓練はより大変なんだ」。

「介助犬としての訓練中、ご主人様の@Chronically_Jaquieはご馳走があふれかえっている場所でも私が誘惑されないよう、教えてくれたの。今では、やっと命令された食べ物をきちんと取りに行くスキルを身につけたよ！」

I'm very helpful in the kitchen! If only my girl would let me be a taste tester, too... 😜 When @Chronically_Jaquie is having a particularly hard time with her orthostatic intolerance, she becomes increasingly dizzy. 👎 This is because her heart must work harder than average to pump blood, especially when she is standing upright (sometimes her resting pulse reaches as high as 180 😰). Bending down further exacerbates these problems, so I help out by shutting the dishwasher for her. My "shut it" command also transfers to other items such as doors, cabinets and drawers. 👌 Notice how I go back to fully close the door and cabinet when I realize they didn't completely shut. That's because I listen for the clicking or slamming sound to know I've completed the task! 👂 My girl is so happy she's trained me for this as it's greatly appreciated when her symptoms are acting up. ❤ Helping her is what I love to do, you can see it all over my happy face! 😁 13 Months #goodgirl #happy #kitchen #helper #servicedogintraining #servicedog #workingdog #dogtraining #servicedogsofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #cute #goldenretriever #puppy #instapuppy #retrieversgram #gloriousgoldens #invisibleillness #chronicillness #spoonie #disability #epilepsy #narcolepsy #asthma #migraine #orthostaticintolerance #ehlersdanlos #fatigue #chronicpain #instagood #weeklyfluff

A video posted by A service pup in training! ♿🐾 (@helper_dog_harlow) on

「たまには間違えちゃうこともあるけど、なにせまだ訓練の半分を終えたところ。でもうまくやっているし、休憩中には好きなだけいろいろなものの匂いを嗅ぐことができるんだよ！」

I'm so cute I'll knock your socks off! 😉 I'm very careful to use the tips of my teeth so I don't nibble on my girl's toes. But giving the sock back... Well, I do love socks! 😅 My girl does not need me to do this task very often, but for the times her hands are effected by #Cataplexy, I'll gladly lend a paw. 🐾 Cataplexy is temporary muscle paralyzation brought on by an increase in emotion such as laughter, surprise, etc. The weakness can range from simply non-functional hands to full body collapses - before we found the right treatment my girl was having over 20 collapses a day. 😥 Cataplexy is a symptom of #Narcolepsy, a neurological disorder that is constantly attempting to force my girl to sleep. 💤 Research has shown that the average #narcoleptic is always functioning as if they have gone 72 hours without sleeping. 😵 This is because narcoleptics have a fractured sleep cycle resulting in non-restorative sleep - meaning the brain never gets a chance to recharge! ☇ It's an exhausting life that comes with many complications, as well as #stigmas. 👎 People with narcolepsy are often accused of being lazy, but this is not the case! In fact, they are constantly working very hard to keep up with a fast-paced society, all while fighting major sleep deprivation. 😩 My girl may have a never-ending battle with narcolepsy, but when the #exhaustion takes over I'm always there for her. ❤ Thank you for reading, you've helped us shatter stigmas and spread awareness about another invisible illness! 💪 *To read more about Narcolepsy, find my girl @Chronically_Jaquie. 🙆 #goodgirl #socks #sleepdeprived #sleepdisorder #servicedogintraining #servicedog #workingdog #dogtraining #dogsofinstagram #cute #goldenretriever #puppy #instapuppy #puppylove #invisibleillness #chronicillness #spoonie #disability #asthma #migraine #dysautonomia #POTS #ehlersdanlossyndrome

A video posted by A service pup in training! ♿🐾 (@helper_dog_harlow) on

介助犬だからといって、1日中働き詰めということではなく、ときにはディズニーワールドに行ったり、ソファでジャッキーと戯れたりすることもあるんだそう。こんな健気に病気を支えてくれる優秀なワンちゃん、本当に尊敬しちゃう！

※この翻訳は、抄訳です。

Translation:Rubicon Solutions

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