Here’s a big dog with an even bigger heart.
Meet Kernel, the Great Dane.
He’s 3.5 years old and weighs 160 lbs. And he just loves being cuddled.
Kernel and his mom like to hug each other before they begin their day. It’s a sweet part of their morning routine.
When it slipped his mom’s mind because of all the rushing they had to do one morning, Kernel wasn’t letting it go.
“So this morning, I did not give him his morning hug because we were rushing out. And when we got home from our hike, he was sitting on the couch whining at me.”
This big baby is definitely aware of his size.
In fact, he’s probably under the impression that he’s a lapdog. He just squeezes in wherever he feels like it, and always asks his mom, Alyssa, for hugs and cuddles.
See, that’s just how gentle Great Danes can be.
In fact, this particular dog breed is “considered gentle giants, are moderately playful and good with children.”
(Source: Hill’s)
I mean, just look at that face. They’re so sweet and disarming that after experiencing just how affectionate they can be, you’d find it silly that you were ever scared or intimidated.
Alyssa simply describes him as a mama’s boy.
“He reads my energy. He will just copy whatever I do. If I’m, like, moving and grooving and dancing around, he’ll start dancing.”
“If I’m really calm, he’s not making a peep.”
But beneath all that, Kernel’s mom says the dog’s main talent is making everyone around him happy.
“”My dad just wants his attention so badly that he’s like, ‘Do whatever you need to do to me. I am yours.'”
Loved by everyone, Kernel doesn’t just bask in the attention and affection he gets daily. He makes sure his family gets plenty of love from him, too. And because he’s such a sweetheart, he has no problem sharing that love with strangers, too!
“I posted that I used to work at Boston Children’s Hospital and would love to befriend a patient that Kernel and I could go see. Someone wrote to me and said, ‘One of my patients is in Boston right now. Feel free to reach out if you want to go meet her.'”
The gentle giant makes patients happy, too, especially one little girl whose face lights up whenever she finds out the dog is scheduled to pay her a visit.
Because the healthy, happy Great Dane is incredibly smart and obedient too, Alyssa decided to train him to become a service dog.
He now knows how to give gentle licks, nuzzles, and hugs, and even deep pressure therapy! That weight does come in handy, after all.
Alyssa loves Kernel so much that she describes him as “the boy that makes my world turn.” She can’t stand being away from him, either.
“I hate leaving him. I have no interest in traveling out of the country or anything, because then I’d be without my dog for a few weeks.”
Kernel sure knows how to steal hearts!
Watch the video to see just how much of a sweetheart the Great Dane truly is.
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