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Dogs have been working alongside humans for thousands of years. They do hard labor, protect the turf, hunt, herd, work as law enforcement officers, and provide immense assistance as different types of service dogs. But don’t you think dogs are qualified for other jobs, too?
Here are eight unusual but awesome tasks where dogs could be hired:
8 Jobs that Dogs Would Be Awesome At
1. Grocery Bag Carrier
Try putting dogs in charge of carrying the grocery bags, and they are likely to have a huge smile on their faces. Dogs are always happy to be useful for their humans, and jobs like this keep them mentally stimulated and physically fit.
Check out the below video that went viral of a dog named Millie that shows how much she’s a helpful grocery bag carrier. You'll see her carry a couple of heavy bags inside her home, but she will still be wagging her tail. She's just too happy to serve, isn't she?
Imagine having dogs like Millie at your local grocery store or supermarket to help senior shoppers or those with a disability. The world would be a better place for everyone!
2. Lap Warmer for the Winter
Forget all the heating products and devices! Dogs will make much better lap warmers, especially during cold winter nights. Suppose more retirement homes, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other service establishments employ them for this particular job. In that case, there will be plenty of people who will feel a lot cozier and warmer this holiday season.
Did you know that centuries ago, dogs were really used as lap warmers? Smaller breeds, such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Terriers, French Bulldogs, and toy breeds, were the preferred choices for those aristocrats who lived in castles.
Apparently, these breeds are the perfect shape, size, and temperament for warming up the thighs of humans while providing companionship. Take that, hot water bottles!
3. Professional Wake-Up Caller
One of the perks of staying in a hotel is you can ask for the front desk clerks to ring you up for a wake-up call. In some hotels, there's even a staff member who will knock on your door and bring your morning coffee as a nod to simpler times before smartphones with alarms became in vogue.
These services are generally not designed to be peaceful, so some people might react differently to wake-up calls even if they request them. But if you bring a dog to a hotel and have your pup as your professional wake-up caller, then the chances of getting up on the wrong side of the bed should be minimized.
For instance, check out the viral YouTube video below of an adorable but sizable Husky that wakes up his owner by seemingly pouncing on him – it has endeared millions of dog lovers.
What the pooch in the above video is actually doing is pushing all of his weight on a laser pointer that he's rather crazy about. His owner doesn't seem to mind the weight bearing on him, and it's an effective method because each time the dog pounces, the owner reacts and is woken up for sure.
Dogs rely on their body clock and routines so they know whenever their owners oversleep. Thus, they will try to get their owner's attention by barking, nudging, and scratching until their fur parent actually gets up to feed them breakfast. And you don't have the snooze option either!
4. Massage Therapist
There are humans who work as massage therapists for dogs in some posh dog spas or retreats. In fact, pet massage is becoming a popular practice to help dogs with injuries and anxiety or simply to relax them. But have you ever heard of the opposite – a dog who massages humans?
This Corgi in the video below seems to love his “job” as a massage therapist. He’s enthusiastic once he’s in the process. However, he occasionally needs encouragement as he takes breaks between massages and won't attempt to do other spots except for his owner's lower back.
But imagine if this were a real job for dogs. It's going to be a double stress buster since both massages and dogs have been proven to lessen stress, as per a study on Stress & Health. Someone should start and explore this job idea and then let us know so we can flock to the place in droves!
5. City Mayor
There's a dog in Minnesota that has been elected as mayor of his town for a third term. Duke, a Great Pyrenees, doesn't actually run the city, obviously, but he represents the town without any political color attached to his title as the Mayor, and he's been doing a spectacular job in that regard so far!
Duke apparently loves to hang out in the local pub with his constituents during the summer season and attends the meetings of the local council at least once a week. However, he mostly just lays on the floor or the ground so that people can pet him. While his job might not be real, people can bet that his heart for service is 100 times purer than actual politicians.
6. Sleep Therapist
Several years ago, a Labrador Retriever named Oscar had the ability to put people to sleep. It's been said that his stare is so hypnotic that he became well-known as Oscar the HypnoDog:
The pup had celebrities like the Spice Girls under his spell. But while this is a stage act, people can definitely use a dog like him to aid with sleep, especially when many are suffering from sleep disorders.
If you've got a dog who's your sleep therapist and companion in the bedroom, you'll even gain more health benefits. Studies show that people who cuddle one dog in bed have a healthier immune system and a lowered stress level.
7. Paper Chaser
If you ever need a dog to fetch or bring paperwork between departments in your company's offices, then consider hiring a four-legged pooch as the designated paper chaser. These animals can help the folks at the mailroom when distributing memos and other documents, among doing other useful tasks.
Your office dogs can also surprise clients and customers when they see a cute staffer handing out forms. Don't worry about the mess or moisture since dogs can be trained to hold paper properly in their mouths without drooling on it. Paul LeBlanc, in our podcast episode, has also made more great cases for having dogs in workplaces.
8. Food Critic
If there's anything that dogs are so good at, it is that they know which food tastes great. They can be credible food critics, just like this Samoyed named Maya:
While the reviews might not be very extensive, this adorable pooch has a solid following on social media. Her fans keep tabs on her food reviews because a lot of dog owners want to know what snacks their dogs might like as well.
READ NEXT: 6 Best Jobs For Passionate Dog Owners
Having the ability to serve and assist people in their day-to-day tasks is why dogs are so much more precious to humans. What job would you like to see dogs do alongside or even instead of humans?
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