About service dogs:
W.I.S.H. Service Dogs for the disabled
Any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. This can include guiding a person with impaired vision, alerting a person with impaired hearing to the presence of people or sounds, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, etc. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as any animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. "Service dog" describes any dog that is individually trained to help a person with a disability.
Any physical or mental condition that substantially limits a major life activity, such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
No. Many disabilities are hidden, such as epilepsy, heart disease, vision and hearing impairments, lung disease, and those that are of psychological/emotional origin
Health Benefits
Service dogs help people overcome the limitations of their disabilities and the barriers in their environments.
Scientific research has begun to validate the role of service dogs for people with disabilities. In 1995, a two-year study by Dr. Karen Allen, et. al., found that people with disabilities who had service dogs scored higher for psychological well-being, self-esteem, community integration, and the amount of control they could exert over their environment. In addition, the number of personal assistant (human) hours required for care decreased by an average of 78%. This represents significant potential savings in health care costs. Other studies support the findings of improved self-esteem, independence, and social acceptance.
Additional research has documented benefits of companion animals:
•Lowered blood pressure
•Moderation of stress
•Improved motivation
•Decreased serum cholesterol
•Mitigation of the effects of loneliness
All these are added benefits which a service dog can provide, in addition to performing the tasks which it is trained to do.
Tasks Performed by Service Dogs
Service dogs are versatile, reliable assistants for people with disabilities. No longer limited to guiding people with visual impairments, service dogs perform a wide variety of tasks suitable as support for an equally wide assortment of limitations.
Service dogs can be trained to reliably perform many tasks, some of which are:
•Leading a person who has a visual impairment around obstacles, to destinations (seating, across street, to/through door, to/into elevator, etc.).
•Sound discrimination to alert a person with a hearing impairment to the presence of specific sounds, such as:
•Smoke/fire/clock alarms
•Telephone
•Baby crying
•Sirens
•Another person
•Timers buzzing
•Knocks at door
•Unusual sounds (things that go bump in the night, mice in the cabinet, etc.)
•General assistance, including:
•Mobility (helping person balance for transfer/ambulation, pulling wheelchair, helping person rise from sitting or fallen position) •Retrieval (getting items that are dropped or otherwise out of reach, carrying items by mouth) •Scent discrimination (locate items, people, places such as bathrooms, elevators, escalators, return path) •Miscellaneous (e.g., open/close doors and drawers, help person undress/dress, carry items in backpack, act as physical buffer to jostling by others, put clothes in washer/remove from dryer, bark to alert for help)
•Sense and alert owners to oncoming seizures. It is currently unknown why or how some dogs are able to do this, but a number of dogs have demonstrated the ability to warn their owners of oncoming seizures, enabling the owners to position themselves safely.This ability to predict a seizure cannot be trained for, but dogs with an innate ability and interest can be trained to alert appropriately. No-one knows how the dogs can tell, but many scientists believe that the dogs sense or smell a change in body chemistry which may be the prelude to a seizure. Seizure Alert Dogs are especially helpful for people who have drop seizures, which occur without warning and often cause serious injury.
•Emotional support, providing a known, trusting entity to facilitate homeostasis (i.e., maintenance of blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, temperature, etc.) during potentially difficult episodes.
Walker Dogs
A walker dog is trained to assist a person who has difficulty walking and generally needs a cane or crutches to assist them in walking. These dogs are taught to walk slowly--to the gait of their master, and act as a balance when needed. They are also taught to retrieve objects, open doors, and carry backpacks for their masters.
A Social Dog is an Assistance dog which assists a disabled person in the social and relational aspects of their life.
Social Dogs are not legally considered Assistance Dogs or protected by the ADA, but can be allowed in some public places by request to the manager or owner. Social Dogs often help young children or adults who are mentally challenged and unwilling or unable to commit to continuing Service dog training, but can be benefitted (usually psychologically and/or emotionally) by an Assistance Dog.
Any type of dog can be used as an assistance dog, but many organizations choose to use only purebred dogs, in an attempt to regulate temperment and health. Mixed breeds are also common among organizations which get shelter dogs, but our program will accept any dog which shows appropriate temperment, health, and training characteristics.
How Long Is the Training?
Most trainers believe that it takes at least six to twelve months of intensive training to produce a quality service dog. Reinforcement must continue over the dog's lifetime, and that is the recipients responsibility. Our programs train the dogs then brings them to you for an orientation program in your own home, neighborhood, and workplace. Browsing through a few dog training books will show you that there are different philosophies and techniques. The recipient will be responsible for learning to reinforce and correct the dog's behavior.
It is important to remember, that while these furry helpers may seem irresistible, they perform important tasks. Service Dogs are becoming increasingly available, and you may see them almost anywhere. On a boat, in a plane, in a store, or on a train, they are always at work. However, a kind word to the dogs' human is always welcome!
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