Pet of the Week: Inspector King Ralph, a Service Dog Keeping Veteran Owner 'Safe'

Like the rest of the world, we love a good pet picture. Seeing our fair share of adorable animals, we've decided to round up our favorites to bring you our Newsweek pet of the week.

This week we've seen the inspiring story of one pug's fighting attitude to mobility loss, a cat who silently judges his owners from afar in one hilarious image, and an adorable Spaniel falling asleep in the bath after a long walk.

Our pet of the week is chosen from submissions and stories from our readers about their animal friends. You can submit your pet for consideration by following the steps at the end of this article.

Pet of the week

This week, our 'top dog' is service dog Inspector King Ralph. The 3-year-old is owned by disabled war veteran Joe Bernzweig who lives in Hollywood, Florida.

Bernzweig and Inspector King Ralph are inseparable, with the pup supporting him through PTSD and an RSD nerve condition on his right side.

Bernzweig told Newsweek: "My last service canine had to be put to sleep, I got Ralph at 3 months old from Pottstown, Pennsylvania and he traveled to me with the help of the United States War Dogs Association [USWDA]."

The USWDA was established in 2000 by five dog handlers who served in Vietnam. The charity helps transport veteran war dogs back to the U.S. after service, finding homes for retired K9s and training service dogs for veterans with disabling medical conditions.

According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are around 19 million veterans living in the U.S., and a report by the RAND Corporation revealed that 1 in 3 veterans have some type of substantial post-combat mental health challenge, with around 20 percent suffering from PTSD.

Purina says there are around 500,000 service dogs currently on duty throughout the U.S., but only 19 percent of service dogs are specifically trained to help owners cope with PTSD.

Purina also lists some of the most common skills of PTSD service dogs. which include placing body weight on a veteran to promote a sense of calm during panic attacks, waking a veteran from upsetting dreams or night terrors and retrieving medicine or reminding a veteran to take medications.

Inspector King Ralph takes on a number of tasks to support his owner. Bernzweig explained: "He helps me be safe always, brings me stuff like the remote control, a bottle of water, a toy or ball.

"He takes stuff out of a bag of food shopping, and goes with me to places if it's not too hot or raining too hard. Most of the time, he just keeps me calm and happy."

This week's runners up

Choosing our favorites is no easy feat—so we also wanted to give these pets a moment in the spotlight as this week's runners-up.