Hospital Dog Retires Due to Illness, Gets Adopted—Still Thinks He's at Work
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
In a viral TikTok video, a retired hospital service dog still behaves like he is on duty, and internet users can't cope with the heartwarming footage.
The emotional clip, shared in June under the username @goodboybudster, shows the 4-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, Buddy, doing things like monitoring his mom while exercising, and all other things he used to do as a working dog. This is despite him having retired due to health complications.
"Things my retired hospital service dog does that just make sense. Monitors my workout. Only speaks in full sentences. Must hold hands at all times," the poster says in the clip. "Once a pawfessional, always a pawfessional," she adds in the caption.
His owner, 32-year-old Candice, from Boston, Massachusetts, told Newsweek that Buddy was born and bred for service at Canine Assistants in Georgia, and began his training as a service dog at 8 weeks of age.
A screenshot of the viral video shows Buddy lying on the bed, posing for a picture.
A screenshot of the viral video shows Buddy lying on the bed, posing for a picture.
@goodboybudster
Candice said: "He was matched with our hospital at about 1 and a half to begin working as a community service dog, or Facility Dog.
"A Facility Dog differs from a Therapy Dog as Hospital Facility Dogs are born, bred, and trained for service work, assisting patients to meet care goals through animal-assisted intervention and therapy.
"Buddy began work in May 2022 as a Hospital Facility Dog. He worked 40 hours a week alongside myself and my co-handler. He was part of our hospital's Child Life team," she said.
The poster added that the role of a child life specialist is to lessen the traumatic impact of hospitalization on children and their families through developmentally appropriate preparation, support, and play.
"Buddy became a very special and unique tool in our tool-belt," Candice said, before explaining how a degenerative disease put an end to his hospital career.
"In summer 2024, Buddy began exhibiting troubling symptoms. After many tests, images, and interventions, Buddy was diagnosed with Lower Motor Neuron disease. In his case, his LMN disease is degenerative in nature. Buddy began many different treatment regimens, both medication- and rehabilitation-based. The medications have left him immunocompromised.
"In April of 2025, Buddy retired at age 4 as he was unable to continue working, both due to medications, as well as symptoms and energy. Buddy is the silliest, goofiest boy with a love for the beach, bananas and peanut butter, and his family."
Buddy's prognosis is unknown, according to his owner, who says she is still unsure about the speed at which the disease will spread. However, despite his illness, he is still on a mission to spread smiles.
"To know Buddy, even a brief hello, is to immediately feel unconditional love. In retirement, I hope to provide Buddy with as much love and happiness as he has given to so many patients and families," Candice added.
Service dogs are very skilled canines that undergo extensive training to do their job, says Pet MD.
The most-popular service dog breeds include Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles, Border collies, and Australian shepherds.
There are all sorts of different service dogs, each with a different specific training. Some are trained to help with allergies; some are guide dogs; and others may help with autism, hearing, mobility, psychiatric service, medical alerts, or therapy.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 206,400 views and more than 32,700 likes on the platform.
One user, Chris L, commented: "I had a retired seeing eye dog and I'd try to walk into stuff on walks to see if he'd help me, but he didn't. For him the leash was for fun, and the harness for work."
Brit posted: "What a sweet gentleman. Please show us more!!!"
Auden added: "My service dog always wants to hold my hand too."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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