Hang-Gliding Service Dog, Other Dogs Take To The Skies [Videos]

A hang-gliding service dog recently videotaped and profiled in Utah may raise awareness of the practice of human hang-gliders taking their pets along for the ride. Hit that button on the top video, and you’ll see great footage taken by YouTuber Rick Scheu of another hang-glider taking to the air with his puppy.

“Right or wrong?” Scheu asked when he posted the footage in April.

The new hang-gliding service dog video from earlier this week is posted at Salt Lake City’s Fox 13 News, and it’s definitely worth seeing.

According to owner Dan McManus, Shadow is an Australian cattle dog who was trained to help McManus with a psychiatric disorder, separation anxiety. The breed is trained to protect and to stay close his human, and Shadow never wants to leave his charge alone — even when he’s up in the air.

McManus told the news team:

“He would follow me absolutely everywhere. When the name Shadow came up, it was obvious that was his name.

“So I would be out here flying, and he would chase me and jump up at me and sometimes get my foot and hang on a little bit…He seems to know what his job is. If I’m anxious, he has that calming effect on you.”

Frankly, I don’t know what’s more amazing — a hang-gliding dog or the fact that a man with an anxiety disorder is out there hang-gliding in the first place. They’re both pretty impressive achievements, if you ask me.

And don’t say “only in America.” Here’s video footage from Australia about a so-called flying dog named Patch filmed hang-gliding in northern Queensland:

Wow. Dog owners, sound off in the comments if you have any thoughts about this practice.

What do you think about hang-gliding with dogs? Dan McManus seemed to make his case for his hang-gliding service dog.

[still hanging-gliding photo credit: Kiwi-Wings via photopin cc]