They say dogs are man’s best friend, and this fact was no better exemplified than in the case of 14-year-old Hector Garcia Middle School student Rachel Benke, and her loyal service dog Taxi.
Benke has been suffering from epileptic seizures since birth, and keeps Taxi near her at all times, including at school.
The perceptive canine has been a constant in Benke’s life for the past four years. He can sense an impending attack up to one and a half hours before it occurs, and alerts her teachers and family to it. Taxi even stays on Benke’s left side as that’s where she falls when she has a seizure.
When it was time to take yearbook pictures, the photographer took a few shots of Taxi, and Benke was delighted to find a photograph of him next to hers when the books were out.
Read more about the inseparable pair’s heartwarming story at The Today Show.
[via 22 Words and The Today Show, images by Teresa Benke]