Service Dog Helps Girl Walk, Gets ‘Best Day Ever’ in Return

It’s a day that most dogs only dream of – one filled with hamburgers, walking around town, and a hotel suite filled with toys, but for George the Great Dane, it was a reality. It was a day George won’t soon forget.

The grandiose dog wasn’t spoiled just for the sake of being spoiled, though. George has a very important job. He’s a service dog to a little girl named Bella Burton who suffers from a rare disorder called Morquio syndrome, which causes bone development and growth issues.

Burton couldn’t walk and had to use crutches or a wheelchair to get around – that is, before George came along.

The Burton family was volunteering at Service Dog Project, a non-profit in Ipswich, Massachusetts, that provides dogs for people with mobility issues, when Burton fell in love with George, and he, her.

“One day, Bella climbed up with George and she just started talking to George and next thing you know, his head was in her lap and he’s just looking up at her like she was the best thing in the world,” Meghan Kokaras, a trainer at Service Dog Project, said in a video from BarkPost.

The two have been inseparable ever since and Burton no longer needs a wheelchair or crutches to walk.

“The first time I walked with George it was amazing,” Burton says in the video. “It was like, I haven’t walked in so long. Now, I get to do it again.”

Because George is obviously the best dog ever, BarkPost, a website dedicated to all things dogs, decided to give him the best day ever.

He and Bella toured Boston, ate a mountain of burgers, frolicked in the snow (which happens to be his favorite activity), visited a doggie treat store, and ended the day in their hotel suite that was filled with dog toys. A $1,000 donation was also made in their name to Service Dog Project.

“George is joyful and he’s always happy and he’s always there to cheer you up,” Burton said.

“He is my best friend.”

Check out their adventures below.