Guide Dog Awarded With Medal On The Olympic Podium, And He Just Can't Hold His Excitement
Paralympic athletes sometimes need extra help in their daily lives; they have different impairments, and their four-legged friends, the service dogs, make things a whole lot easier. Service dogs are trained according to each athlete's unique needs; they can help deaf athletes by alerting them to sounds such as alarms or incoming danger, and they also help guide athletes who are blind.
Some service dogs are trained to pull wheelchairs and even know how to properly react to a medical emergency and get help. Their jobs might be different, but one thing they have in common is giving emotional support to hard-working athletes.
Visually impaired Austrian athlete Carina Edlinger won two medals in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing; she owed her success to many people. During one of the medal ceremonies, as she was being honored, she wanted to recognize someone in particular in front of everyone: Riley, her guide dog.
Riley has been helping Edlinger for a while now; she loves the 5-year-old dog so much and wanted to show some appreciation for his hard work. They have managed to achieve so many things together, and he played a big part in that.
Riley watched in excitement as they brought the medals for her and Edlinger; she then jumped up to take a sniff in the hopes of finding something special for herself.
The 5-year-old doggo has been by Edlinger’s side for quite a while now.
Here's the full video of Edlinger receiving her gold medal with her guide dog Riley:
Gold medalist Carina Edlinger presents a prize to her guide dog Riley 🤗
Edlinger always makes sure to credit her dog whenever she gets the opportunity.
"Today is International Guide Dog Day 🐕🦺🥳
Yes, I love my dog; he's my best buddy and friend who always follows me along my way. He even came along to China, where he completely stole everyone's show 😂 A dog can give so much, and especially with our Paralympics Beijing 2022 experience, he was more than just a dog for all of us," she wrote on her Instagram.
She made sure to praise her "little black Ferrari" on International Guide Dog Day.
"Living trapped in such a different and strange world, not just for me, but for a lot of us, we were just happy to have a pet around to stroke, to be able to walk outside, or just to have him spreading joy. He dries tears on a bad day and is there on the good ones as well, and yeah, I guess we both need our cuddle times 🤗 All I want to say is that a guide dog is more than just a loving pet; he's my number one, and even though I can't drive a car, I have my little black Ferrari as my extended eyes 🐶💖"
Everyone fell in love with Riley and his reaction while receiving his medal on the Olympic podium. It was certainly more entertaining to watch Riley than all the other human athletes combined.
Riley posed with the other athletes for photos afterward, celebrating his win. He was proud of what he was able to achieve with his mom and was glad they got to experience it together.
Guide dogs never get the credit they deserve; they help their humans in so many different ways and have incredible abilities that help them avoid obstacles and guide them in many ways.
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