In celebration of World Emoji Day – celebrated annually on 17 July – we’ve sprinkled a touch of magic on the traditional assistance dog emoji to showcase the true colours of our incredible Canine Partners.
Since turning 35 (in 2025) and refreshing our brand to better represent the range of dogs and partners we support, we’d absolutely love to see our famous purple jackets and life-changing assistance dogs represented in emoji form!
A brief history of assistance dog and physical disability emojis
The sixth major update to the official emoji roster symbols took place way back in 2019.
Since then, there hasn’t been any further inclusions to either the assistance dog or wheelchair-user emoji.
According to a report by Forbes published pre-Covid, the mobility emojis were suggested by Apple in 2018).
Apple’s submission asked for the “addition of emoji to better represent individuals with disabilities. Currently, emoji provide a wide range of options, but many do not represent the experiences of those with disabilities.”
Our dogs as emojis
The reality is that assistance dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Canine Partners work with Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Ladradoodles, and crosses of these breeds. They are typically intelligent, food-motivated and eager to learn, making reward-based training positive and enjoyable. Their natural retrieving instincts and physical strength support many practical assistance tasks. Doodles (as they are affectionately known)are also hypoallergenic which means they are great for people who have allergies.
The power of our life-changing partnerships
With a world full of barriers that exclude disabled people from everyday life, our dogs help break them down and open doors to independence.
“Our dogs bring confidence, companionship and an unwavering bond, reducing reliance on carers and giving people the freedom to live life their own way,” continued Jess. “Even if it’s just for a bit of fun on this day of emoji celebration, we’d love to see assistance dogs like Canine Partners recognised in digital form.”
Find out how you can support our life-changing work to create more partnerships between assistance dogs and disabled people.