The dog is being trained as part of an organization that offers free service animals.
A cute pup fell in love with Cinderella at Disneyland in a moment captured on video.
Elijah, a Labrador and golden retriever mix in training to become a service dog, traveled with his handler to the California Park and hit it off with the princess.
“When he got to meet the characters, he was given his release commands. He really enjoyed meeting them,” Ashley Wilt, his “puppy raiser,” told InsideEdition.com.
Wilt has been training 21-month-old Elijah since he was 8 weeks old through the organization Canine Companions for Independence, which places service dogs for free with children, adults and veterans. The trip to Disney was to train him in a space with a lot of distractions.
“He had to focus with so many distractions. All the kids that want to pet him, and there was popcorn on the floor and crowds,” Wilt said.“Through the trip, he showed how calm and confident he really is.”
Elijah then got to meet Cinderella and Winnie the Pooh.
“Winnie the Pooh doesn’t look like a person so it’s important he is not fearful,” Wilt said. “Every outing is better to prepare him for the future. It’s important that he desensitized to any distractions in a park like Disney.”
And Elijah, who Wilt described as calm and cuddly, loved the trip. The characters loved him too.
“They all seemed to love him. Cinderella even asked if he could spend the rest of the day with her,” Wilt said. “She said it made a great impact on her day.”
Elijah will leave Wilt in just three weeks for some more training with Canine Companions for Independence.
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