All About Service Animals

Service dogs are sometimes called “guide dogs” or “assistance dogs.” These dogs are specially trained to work with people who are disabled, including the visual or hearing impaired, but it is not limited to those two disabilities. A service dog, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding people with impaired vision, alerting people with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items” (ADA Subection 36.104, 1990).

In order to get a service dog, a person has to apply and be evaluated to assure that he/she is suitable to have a guide dog and then that person’s name gets placed on a waiting list while the most suitable dog for that person’s disability is found or trained. Most people who have service dogs have to pay for that service out-of-pocket, though a few are available free of charge or are available through financial assistance. The dog and the disabled person have to be trained together over a period of months in order to learn how to work together before the dog can be permanently placed in the disabled person’s home.

Before readying a dog to be a service dog, they go through a year-long program, starting as puppies, where they learn to get acclimated to being around others, going into different types of establishments, and preparing for multiple types of situations. There are private organizations that train service dogs, not-for-profit organizations that use volunteers to train service dogs, and more recently, prisons have instituted programs where selected inmates train dogs for service.

Service dogs are allowed to go inside places where regular dogs aren’t allowed to go, such as restaurants, airplanes, banks, and so-forth. Service dogs usually wear a vest identifying them as a service dog and a sign asking people not to pet the animal because he is on duty. Service dogs even get to ride without being placed into carriers when they travel with their owners on trains, busses, and planes. Public accessibility of service dogs varies according to country and region which gives them equal access to anywhere the general public is allowed, such as grocery stores and theaters. Some regions require the person to carry ID explaining that the dog is a service dog.

Service dogs come in all breeds and sizes, although many trainers prefer to work with Labradors and Golden Retrievers because they’re known for their great temperament. They are selected for their ability to respond well to obedience commands that aren’t too aggressive, that aren’t too hyper, and that are friendly and intelligent. Puppies chosen as service dogs from breeders, animal shelters, or donated by owners go to obedience training first and then more specialized training. Dogs can be trained to retrieve dropped objects, open the refrigerator, open/close doors, turn lights on/off, assist people across streets, and other duties. Families now use service dogs to work with their autistic children. Other dogs are trained to assist people with hearing impairment by alerting their owners to sounds such as someone knocking on the door or ringing the door bell, telephones, and smoke alarms. Mobility service dogs help people transfer from their wheelchairs, with dressing/undressing, with balance issues while standing at cash registers, etc. There are even dogs for people with psychiatric disorders where the dog’s job is to keep them calm while they’re out in public.  

There are many different types of service dogs who provide care to our loved ones. Next time you’re out at a large public venue such as a mall, large church, or other venue, look around to see if there are service dogs on duty.