Dog Has Epic Reaction to Giant Version of His ‘Emotional Support’ Toy

Tobias the service dog has always had a thing for toy sharks.

According to his owner, the “medical alert” animal carries his “emotional support” toy everywhere. The owner named the fluffy blue shark Frank, and shared Tobias’ attachment to the pet toy on social media under the handle @thatkidwiththedog.

In a TikTok post from March 9, Tobias’ owner revealed that the internet caught on to the love story between the pet and his stuffed animal, and upgraded his favorite possession by shipping the “giant” version of the toy. Naturally, Tobias’ owner named the newer iteration of Frank “Francois,” to avoid any confusion.

“That’s my medical alert dog Tobias and that’s his emotional support shark Frank the Second,” said Tobias’ owner.

Viewers watched as Tobias was filmed sitting on a rug with the original Frank firmly placed on his lap.

“Tobias takes Frank everywhere. The internet picks up on that and sends him a giant Frank,” they added.

Tobias’ owner went on to say that their pet “loved” his new toy, and that the internet “accidentally” gifted them two Frank models—which came in handy for keeping Tobias’ brother happy.

“Francis, the brother of Francois is now enjoying Jake,” added the owner of the dogs.

What Are the Comments Saying?

The viral video, which has been viewed more than 1.1 million times, ends with a clip of the doggy duo happily playing with their new toys as their owner repeatedly jokes about them looking worse than wearing

The post had been captioned: “Long live Frank the shark (the second one, respectfully) and welcome to Francis and Francois a gift to us from some of Frank’s fans!”

The touching post attracted many comments, some from other service dog owners.

“I think he needs a mini frank patch for his vest,” wrote one user.

Another user added: “My Doberman has an emotional support chicken.”

“I love this so much. My service dog has an emotional support sunflower seed plushie,” shared a third user.

What is a Service Dog?

As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a service animal is a dog trained to perform tasks or perform work directly related to the disability or special needs of its handler. The companion animal is highly trained with good behavior and a strong sense of obedience.

An animal like the Dobermann in the viral clip will work to mitigate the impact of their handler’s disability, thereby increasing safety or independence for them.

Tobias’ owner shared in another post that the dog is a three-year-old Dobermann pinscher trained to watch for their dysautonomia, a neurological condition that can affect blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

The Americans with Disabilities Act only considers dogs, and miniature horses trained to guide people, to be official assistance animals. No other animals will be considered service animals or receive the benefit that service animals do by accompanying their owners in all public spaces.

Sharon Wachsler, the owner and head trainer at At Your Service Dog Training, provided Newsweek a brief explanation of what service animals are trained to do and what rules they follow.

“A disability is a permanent or chronic mental or physical impairment that severely limits one or more major life activities. A service dog, when partnered with a disabled person, is trained to perform tasks that mitigates the impact of that person’s disability,” he said. .

Newsweek Contact @thatkidwiththedog for more information via Instagram.

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