Lending a helping paw

It was love at first sight for Natalie Brunzel when she met Austin, the mobility assistance dog who helps her with day-to-day tasks she cannot manage on her own.

"We spend every minute of the waking day together and even at night he sleeps beside my bed at the ready to help," says the Albany woman, who is wheelchair-bound.

"I take him shopping and even though he has little in the way of fashion tips, he happily pays across the counter. MORE>>