Moon The Keeshond

Based on my experience, I think they’d make great emotional support animals.

Cas, for one, can tell when I’m upset and will come over to sit with me. When I was still taking college classes, if I was writing a paper on my laptop, and I exclaimed in frustration, Cas would get up from wherever he was laying down, hop on the bed, and curl up on the pillows behind me. The ones I’ve had have usually been pretty emotionally intelligent.

Quiche is a font of endless cheer and is always hoping we might do something together or go someplace together or just be together. I find this sweet and fun. She is PERFECT for getting me moving, going, active, engaged in the world on days I might be inclined to mope. She is infectiously happy.

She doesn’t appear to have any inclination to “comfort” a human. If I am sad (for instance, my grandfather just passed, and I am a little sad for me and very upset for my mom) she spends the same amount of time sleeping on my feet, snoozing next to me, slapping me and trying to instigate games, licking me and soliciting attention. If I am crying, she is likely to be found sleeping on my feet or slapping me in the shoulder until I get annoyed or laugh or interact with her somehow besides just being sad.

She doesn’t seem to have any intuitive aptitude for “my human would really like to have me sit on her lap so she can cry into my neck.” Whether I am happy or sad, she wants to be directly underfoot and is very attentive to what I am doing/where I am going. 

That said, she’s learned MUCH more complicated tasks with WAY more specific cues. I think if you were inclined to reward your dog for lying on your lap and letting you cry on them, a keeshond would pick it up after the first go, and would try their best to take care of you (for praise or for snacks) ever after. They are quick to learn and good at generalizing, so if you have a certain task or goal in mind and are willing to break it down into steps a dog can learn, a keeshond could be amazing at it.

At least in Finland we have care dog activities, where volunteering dog owners visit groups of people with special needs. Care dogs are ordinary family dogs owned by laymen.  Most commonly these dogs and their owners visit elderly, children and disabled people in e.g. different institutions, schools and day care centers. In addition, care dogs may visit e.g. mental health patients, people in need for rehabilitation, war invalids or autistics. The activity is based on volunteering, thus the care dog instructors do not receive monetary compensation. 

And I know there are Keeshonds and their owners doing this, for example Hilla’s mom is one of these care dogs. But then again, Hilla would not be suitable for it since she’s reserved when meeting new people unknown to her and while she does check me and gives me attention when I’m sad/cry, Aslak does a much better job at being emotional support dog for me :’D