A young woman from Georgia stands up in her kitchen and walks toward the fridge, but within seconds, her Australian Shepherd jumps up to stop her. The woman then sits on her kitchen floor while her dog fetches her a pill bottle and a bottled water from the fridge.
He then proceeds to sit on her, applying deep pressure therapy.
Katie Graham, 24, almost experienced a fainting spell, and her dog Bailey prevented it. The scene was caught on Graham’s home security camera and received 24 million views on Tik Tok.
Since childhood, Graham has lived with postural tachycardia syndrome or PoTS — a condition that causes an extreme change in heart rate and dizziness when one sits or stands up, the Daily Mail reported. It is a rare condition that affects between one to three million people in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health.
@serviceaussiebailey Often times #POTS hits you in the most random moments. Which is why Bailey is so vital to my health. I was just trying to get a drink to go with my sandwich and apparently my Heart decided to not work correctly. Without Bailey, I wouldve fainted and couldve hit mh head. #pots #potssyndromeawareness #potssyndrome #fyp #foryou #servicedog #spoonless #potssyndromeillness #dog
Graham, from Kennesaw, Georgia, describes the condition as “debilitating” for it can hit at the most random times. Luckily, she received Bailey four years ago to help her manage her condition.
“Bailey is trained to pick up a scent my body gives off prior to going into a medical episode,” Graham said.’This gives me enough time to get to a safe spot and prepare to lose consciousness.”
Bailey also is trained to do deep pressure treatment therapy, which helps prevent blood from pooling and can prevent fainting.
“He is so determined and quick-witted, I know that despite any challenge, he will ensure to do his job and keep me safe,” Graham said. “He allows me to have freedom and to feel safe even when I am alone. He is my lifeline and I could not live without him.”