Just in case your heart needs warming, here’s the story of a golden retriever named Orca.
Orca was a service dog born in the UK in 2001. Golden retrievers are good candidates for service work because they are intelligent, trainable, non-aggressive, and strong. Having completed his training in 2003, Orca was partnered with a woman named Cheryl Alexander, who suffered a neurological disorder that prevented her from walking. In May of that year, after just two months together, barely out of training, and not even 18 months old, Orca saved Cheryl’s life in truly incredible fashion.
They were on a secluded country path together when Cheryl’s powered wheelchair hit a nasty bump, throwing her 20 feet down an embankment. The chair followed her, landing on her legs and pinning her. Cold and wet, Cheryl was at risk of dying of exposure if Orca couldn’t get help. The chair was far too heavy for Orca to move – 300 lbs – so he went to get help.
The first person he found didn’t realize what Orca was trying to do, and tried to lead the dog back to town to report it as lost. Now, remember: service dogs are trained to follow people, and yet Orca somehow discerned that this person was not going to help, so he left the jogger, pulling out of his collar (which goes against every moment of dog training) and returned to Cheryl.
She wasn’t doing well. It was now raining hard, and hypothermia was setting in.
Having checked on his owner, he tried again. This time, he found a jogger who understood the urgency Orca was trying to convey. Cheryl was found, help was summoned, and she recovered in hospital.
Cheryl and Orca spent another ten happy years together. Orca could understand about 150 commands, and was able to, among many other things:
- Load and unload a washing machine
- Bring things from the fridge
- Operate an ATM
- Operate a VCR
- Take money to a local store that didn’t have wheelchair access, and come back with a newspaper
I’m not particularly a dog person, but that’s amazing. If Sasha, the cat I grew up with, had ever seen me fall into a ditch, he probably would have licked himself and used me as shelter from the rain.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Golden Retriever, a mysterious duo from Hawaii who don’t appear to have released anything other than this one little EP, have a way of making charming, echoing guitar loops that just make you want to lie back and cuddle with a dog.
2. The medium-paced gait of the song makes me picture a happy retriever walking at its master’s side.
3. Like a golden retriever, it’s playful, friendly, and simple-yet-clever.
Recommended listening activity:
Watching dogs play at a dog park and inventing names for them in your head.