WATCH: Dog calms down owner with Asperger’s during self-harm meltdown
Her service dog, Samson, is trained to stop his owner's self-harming episodes and Jacobs set up a camera to record one of the more recent ones.
Danielle recorded this video to show people what it's like to live with Asperger's and how her dog helps calm her:
"This is what really happened and it's not easy to open myself and share what it's like on a daily basis. This is what's considered a meltdown."
The video is very upsetting as it shows Danielle sobbing and hitting herself on the head and chest. Samson then jumps up on his hind legs - as he was trained - to restrain her arms. As she sinks to the ground, he licks her face and gets in close to comfort her.
It's a tough watch but it's also amazing to see the effect Samson has on his owner as he calms her down and reassures her.
Jacobs trained Samson herself and regularly posts videos of their exercises on her YouTube channel - showing him retrieving objects and learning to sit and stand on command. She has also extensively detailed her experiences of dealing with being on the autism spectrum and how she has trained Samson to be aware of the signals.
