Labor Day celebrates the social and economical contribution of workers.  It also symbolizes the end of summer.  While Labor Day is meant for people, of course, why can’t we also celebrate the jobs that animals do?!

When people think of working animals, they probably think of police dogs.  Canine Officers have very important roles in the police force.  They can be drug or bomb sniffing dogs, look for stolen money, help apprehend suspects.  There are also Rescue Dogs, such as during 9/11, who work in the ruble with rescue workers to locate victims.  Some breeds of dogs are even trained to do water rescues!

People may also think of Guide Dogs, or other dogs who help people with disabilities.  Dogs can be trained to aid the blind, deaf, and physically impaired people.  They can open refrigerators, pick up dropped items, help steady people while they walk.  Some dogs can even detect when their owner is going to have a seizure or when their blood sugar drops, warning the owner so he or she can take action and be safe.

Therapy dogs are very common today.  Therapy dogs help kids and adults, both physically and emotionally.  Kids may be more likely to practice reading to a dog than an adult.  Petting a dog can help calm a child after an upsetting event.  Therapy dogs encourage people with physical disabilities to engage in physical therapy.  And we can’t forget therapy dogs visiting patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

You may have heard of the AKC group of Herding dogs.  There are still dogs whose job it is to herd other animals.  There are even dogs who help herd geese off of golf courses!  And what about working dogs who pull wagons or sleds?  There are dogs trained to track people, but did you know there are also dogs trained to sniff out insects, like bed bugs?

Let’s not forget that there are still working farms in the US, with horses pulling plows or other field machinery.  Horses are also used in the police force, especially in busy cities.  Horses can be used for therapy work, good for both physical therapy and emotional therapy.

Although all of these jobs are important, we cannot forget that every pet has a job.  After a hard day at work, the stress of driving home in traffic, there’s nothing like being greeted at the door with a smiling face happy to see you no matter what.  A tail wag, a purr, a happy pet cuddled with you on the couch…all serve well to calm and distress a person.  Pets offer us unconditional love and acceptance, which may very well be the best job of all.