In a heartwarming story out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 32-year-old Sharice Williams has a very special kind of service dog: Due to Sharice’s increasingly common disability, this retriever mix is specially trained to sense when she is about to post something to her main account that should definitely be going to her alt.
The two share a powerful bond that goes beyond mere service – they also understand each other on a level that is beyond words.
“Barry knows exactly when I’m feeling kind of dazed and unfocused, you know, the kind of feeling where you’d accidentally post a low-key nude to the account that your parents follow,” Sharice told us. “He’s saved me from so many dangerous mistakes.”
Barry was trained to tap Sharice’s arm and will not stop until she can show that she posted that kind of dramatic story to her finsta and not her main.
“He was trained not to stop until he could confirm that I was well enough to know what I was doing,” Sharice says. “Animals are tuned into so much more than we even know.”
Service dog trainers are looking into whether dogs like Barry can help prevent other potentially dangerous actions, like posting passive-aggressive posts about someone that you know they’re going to see, or subtweeting,
“There is a huge potential for these dogs to not only save lives, but enhance the quality of life of their owners,” says trainer Terri Yglesias. “We can really use the bond we share with these dogs to prevent your mother from accidentally seeing your bare ass.”
While the future is uncertain, Sharice is glad she has Barry to watch out for her, helping her keep her mains flawlessly professional.
“Barry is like family to me now. But even better, because he’s not on social media and doesn’t do drama.”
Aww! We salute you for your service, Barry. Please stay off Tiktok!
