Loyal dog saves owner with Asperger’s from self-harm

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A woman with Asperger’s Syndrome has shared her candid experience to the world in an effort to raise awareness.

Earlier this month, Danielle Jacobs posted a video of her beloved dog coming to the rescue while she was going through a violent meltdown.

The 24-year-old woman from Arizona said she has trained her dog, Samson, to respond to these reactions caused by the autism spectrum disorder.

In the video, now viewed over three million times, Jacobs sobs and repeatedly hits herself in the chest and head while her Rottweiler jumps in each time to stop her from self-harm.

As the video shows, Samson uses his paws to stop Jacobs from hurting herself. As she slides to the ground, the dog comforts her by laying down on her lap.

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Jacobs told The Huffington Post, however, that Samson is not actually comforting her as it may appear in the video. “He responds on action instead of emotions,” she told the online news outlet. “That’s how I trained him.”

Ever since adopting Samson at a very young age, Jacobs has been training her dog to assist her and has now graduated to being her in-home service dog. Jacobs admits that without Samson she would not be able recognize the tantrums she is experiencing.

Autism service dogs are not as often seen or known about as dogs that assist the visually impaired - but they provide a valuable service, says Dan Warren, the founder of Service Dogs By Warren Retrievers in Virginia. He told The Huffington Post that these dogs are beneficial in helping owners cope when they become overwhelmed.