1. This handsome and majestic labrador, who changed a lonesome little boy's life.
2. Flawless icon Lentil, a French bulldog with a cleft palate who's helping to raise awareness for those with craniofacial differences.
3. These superdogs, who help veterans lead more independent lives.
There are several organizations that train dogs to be companions for veterans. For someone who has faced trauma and injury, physical or otherwise, having a loyal friend around to comfort and aid you can mean venturing closer to recovery, mobility, and/or independence. You can follow one such organization, Pets for Patriots, on Instagram and check out how they pair at-risk dogs in shelters with veterans in need of a helpful companion.
4. The story of a puppy who led rescuers to a lost little girl.
5. These medical alert dogs trained to find things like like mastocytosis, diabetes, and cancer.
Dogs can literally save people - as well as vastly improve the quality of an ailing or at-risk person's daily life - by working as "medical alert dogs." This report from NBC Nightly News showcases several dogs who are specially trained--or just showed a surprising ability--to be on alert when it comes to things like mastocytosis, diabetes, and cancer.