When most people think of service dogs, we think of two kinds: dogs that assist blind individuals, and dogs that sniff out bombs and/or cocaine (and I think of the one time in high school that a drug sniffing dog memorably sniffed out a rotten bologna sandwich in a student’s locker). But over the last 10-15 years, the practice of using service dogs has expanded greatly. This past Sunday, the New York Times Magazine ran a wonderful and inspiring story about an individual family’s experience with a service dog from the organization 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, Ohio. Their child, a sufferer of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, found a great deal of comfort with the dog. Check out the story, or watch the video on the front page.

Whether being used as companion animals for children with FAS and other disabilities, or as a way to relieve stress during final exam time for college kids as students at Indiana University have found, one thing’s for sure–dogs truly are man’s best friend!