The adorable pictures of all kinds of service dogs patiently waiting in their seats as they watched a production of Billy Elliot at the Stratford Festival in Southern Ontario went viral and people are loving it.
“It’s important to prepare the dogs for any activity the handler may like to attend,” Laura Mackenzie, owner and head trainer with K-9 Country Inn Working Service Dogs, told CBC radio.
“The theater gives us the opportunity to expose the dogs to different stimuli such as lights, loud noises and movement of varying degrees. The dogs must remain relaxed in tight quarters for an extended period of time.”
In the picture, the dogs are looking extremely cute while sitting and ignoring the other attendees including food.
Billy Elliot is considered one of the more “relaxed performances,” which CBCsays is for “people who need softer lighting and gentler sounds, who tend to vocalize during the performances, or who need to move around, making the show’s ideal for attendees on the autism spectrum, parents with infants or young children, or people who need to get up during a show.”
“Everybody was so thrilled to see all these dogs at one time in the audience. It’s really exciting. And it’s thrilling to be part of something that is going to serve theater-goers of the future,” said Stratford Festival spokesperson Ann Swerdfager, adding that many service dogs attend the performances each week.
“It’s wonderful that going to the theater is considered one of the things that you want to train a service dog for, rather than thinking that theater is out of reach for people who require a service animal because it isn’t.”
Mackenzie told CBC that the pups were “fantastic and remained relaxed throughout the performance.”
“Some even watched through the cracks of the seats. The dogs loved the show almost as much as their handlers.”