Outgoing Kitten Coaxes Shy Service Dog Out of His Shell

A shy service dog named Samson, who wasn’t entirely sure how to play with other dogs, came alive when he saw a cat through a window, so his humans adopted a kitten who encouraged him out of his shell.

Samson is very awkward with other dogs or even other humans. He just doesn’t always know how to play with them. When he’s at the dog park he’ll always be the odd one out just sitting in a corner doing his own thing…The idea of bringing a kitten home came when Samson …spotted a kitten through a window and he immediately wanted to play. It was definitely an “aha” moment seeing that he can make very deep social connections it just has to be the right animal.

The kitten, a Scottish fold named Cleo, and Samson became the best of friends. They travel with their humans a great deal, but when Cleo legs get tired, she is more than happy to ride on Samson’s back.

On one of our hikes Cleo got tired. She started dragging her feet. She didn’t want to walk anymore and started meowing. So we figured, well, we can put her on our backs or we can see if she will ride on Samson. so we placed her on Samson’s back and she held on with her claws and stayed there she seemed to really enjoy herself now when she gets tired we place her on Samson’s back and she just enjoys the view from up there. He seems very proud that he’s holding his sister on his back.