A large white Great Dane with black spots, an adult female wearing a light-colored t-shirt or blouse, another young adult female in a red shirt and white dog leash, set against residential houses with lawns and trees, likely spring or summer day. 3:01
The Dodo channel icon The DodoOriginal creator 12M views Save

Forget his morning hug and this Great Dane pouts

Every morning, Kernel the Great Dane gets a hug from his mom, Alyssa. One morning they were rushing to get out the door, and she forgot. more

They headed out on a hike. When they got home, Kernel was sitting on the couch, whining at her and waiting.

Then he gave her the face. Alyssa realized what she had missed and gave him exactly what he was after, a big hug, and the pout was over.

A large white Great Dane with black spots, an adult female wearing a light-colored t-shirt or blouse, another young adult female in a red shirt and white dog leash, set against residential houses with lawns and trees, likely spring or summer day. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Every morning, Kernel the Great Dane gets a hug from his mom, Alyssa.

Kernel is huge and doesn't seem to know it. He thinks he is a lapdog. With his white coat and black spots, people love to joke that he's really a cow, or a spotted horse with floppy ears.

He copies Alyssa's mood. If she's dancing around the room, he starts dancing too, and if she's calm, he doesn't make a peep. Even her dad will do anything for Kernel's attention.

His best talent is making people happy. Alyssa used to work at Boston Children's Hospital, and she put the word out that she would love to befriend a patient she and Kernel could visit. Someone wrote back about a young girl who comes to Boston for treatment every six weeks.

The girl loved her time with him. She walked Kernel around the hospital and showed him off to everyone they passed. In the elevator, she announced to everybody, "This is Kernel."

Alyssa's nana lives close by, and they visit her a lot. She can't move around much anymore, but Kernel brings her to life. When Alyssa walks in, she gets a "Hey, babe." When Kernel walks in, it's "I have yummies."

Alyssa has started training Kernel to be a service dog. His main task is called grounding, which can mean leaning on her or sitting on her lap like a weighted blanket. He has made her very proud, and he has also made one thing clear. The morning hug isn't optional.