It’s likely that you’ve seen the story of a service dog who became a mother late last week in a Tampa airport. The video of Mom, Dad, and their eight new pups was posted to Twitter by first responders from Tampa Fire Rescue who assisted in the delivery. Since then it has been shared thousands of times over social media and covered by news outlets all over the world as people cooed over the adorable new pups.
All done! #AirportPuppies @FlyTPA @CityofTampa pic.twitter.com/NIoXr0HCZW
— Tampa Fire Rescue (@TampaFireRescue) May 25, 2018
But among the many oohs and ahhs were a lot of moans and groans. Something about the situation struck many dog lovers as “just not right.” A lot of questions were raised concerning the well-being of the pups and the validity of the parents’ Service Dog status. Why would this service dog be pregnant? Why, if this is a service dog, would she be made to work in her condition? Isn’t it unsafe to fly with a dog so far along in her pregnancy? Does this woman really have two service dogs?
Only days after sharing the video, wfla.com spoke with Suzy Wilburn, a woman who works for Southeastern Guide Dogs and needs a guide dog herself for her vision. Suzy expressed many of the concerns others have had about the story.
Nobody wants to be a wet blanket when a friend shares the video, but it can be hard to keep mum when there’s so many unanswered questions on so many sensitive subjects at once.
What do you think about this story – does it seem wonderful or weird to you? Let us know on Facebook.
Featured Photo: @TampaFireRescue/Twitter
via Whisker Therapy