Assistance dogs is the universal term that refers to dogs uniquely
trained to assist individuals with disabilities to lead a more
independent life, including Guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired, Hearing/Signal Dogs for the deaf and hard of hearing, and Service Dogs for those with disabilities other than vision and hearing.
Additionally, Facility/Therapy
Dogs work with professionals in facilities & organizations where
interaction with a dog is beneficial to the healing process - each of
these astonishing skill-sets is the result of lengthy, loving, &
committed training. Among these three main groups, there are many
distinct specialties of skill sets, and organizations like PWP will
often specialize in a few specific types. Examples include Balance
Dogs and Seizure Dogs Additionally, there are varying types of
certifications for Assistance Dogs.
Emotional Support Animals Dogs that provide companionship, relief from loneliness & depression, and similar support
can be allowed in housing (even "No Pet" housing) without the requirement of a pet
deposit. Those dogs are called "Emotional Support Animals", but they don't
have access to public places, either.
More information on Emotional Support Animals is available from the
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and
the Disabilities Rights Center.
Also the booklet, "Best Friends Forever", mentioned above, has been
recently revised to include information for non-disabled folks who live
in assisted living or federally supported housing. It is available from
the Doris Day Animal League, and is available online (from their site) HERE
Because
of the broad variety of physical abilities, these dogs also receive
advanced training that is custom-designed for the particular needs of
the specific human partner. The dogs perform a number of exceptional
tasks including:
Retrieving
hard to reach objects (such as items that have been dropped, are on a
shelf, under a chair, or even in another room) such as slippers, the
phone, car keys, a pen, money, the stereo remote, a drink from the
refrigerator, or even clothes out of the drier
Opening
and closing regular or counterbalanced doors. The dog does this by
pushing the door, pulling on a tether, or pulling on a removable door
hook.
Balance
work for people who have trouble walking. The dog wears a special
harness and acts as a counterbalance as the person moves. The dog can
also help going up or down stairs.
Pulling a manual wheelchair, including up inclines.
Turning regular light switches on and off.
Pushing
buttons, such as those provided to open automatic doors, or activating
emergency response buttons that contact medical assistance.
Finding and retrieving a cordless or mobile phone.
Purchasing
items in stores. The dogs can transfer cash, or a credit card, for
example, up to the counter to pay. They can even return a pen &
sales receipt from a salesperson behind the counter to their partner in
a wheelchair so they can sign the receipt.
Going
under tables or counters and being "invisible" in restaurants,
refraining from picking up or eating food items dropped on the floor.
Providing constant loving companionship
From Paws With Purpose
Service Animal Law and Discrimination Facts
Service
animals are those animals that have been specially trained to help
people with disabilities. They are also called “support animals” or
“assistance animals”. Besides assisting people with disabilities,
service animals may be utilized for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations
and the law enforcement agencies. Although dogs are most commonly used
as service animals, other animals such as horses and capuchin monkeys
are used for individual assistance as well.
Here is a list of websites that provide information on service animals and service animal laws:
Service Dog's Generous Nature Inspires Young Owner To Help Others
When Kiki entered the life of Adam Wolf, 10, a boy with cerebral palsy
who spends much of his time in a wheelchair, it was a great moment. The
boy and his dog would hang out together, grow up side by side, share
the special kind of communication that happens only between kids and
their dogs.
Bred for intelligence and sensitivity, trained to be responsive and
helpful, Kiki, a jet-black Labrador retriever/golden retriever mix,
quickly settled into the role of Adam's constant companion. She sleeps
with him; picks up pencils and remote controls when he drops them;
accompanies him everywhere but school; sticks like glue to his side,
giving comfort, when Adam's dealing with one of his many medical
procedures; and stays with him in the bathroom, leaving only when
ordered to get Ali because he's finished in there. Read the full story @ USAToday.com
Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially (red-green) color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs. The human
half of the guide dog team does the directing, based upon skills
acquired through previous mobility training. The handler might be
likened to an aircraft's navigator, who must know how to get from one place to another, and the dog is the pilot, who gets them there safely.
In several countries, guide dogs, along with most service and hearing dogs, are exempt from regulations against the presence of animals in places such as restaurants and public transportation.
Early on, trainers began to recognize which breeds produced dogs most appropriate for guide work; today, Golden Retrievers, Labradors, and German Shepherds are most likely to be chosen, though by no means does this mean other breeds, such as Collies, Vizslas, and Dobermanns,
are not. Crosses such as Golden Retriever/Labrador (which are popular
due to both breeds' known intelligence, work-ethic, and early
maturation) and Labradoodles (Labrador/Poodles bred to provide dogs with less shedding for those with allergies to hair or dander) are also common.
Guide Dog Training
Potential guide dogs come from various sources. Some organizations
breed and raise their own puppies, while some rely on "foster families"
to raise the puppies until they are ready for formal training. Also,
some dogs are rescued from shelters, although any dog heading for a
career as a guide dog must be sound and desensitized to most public situations.
When dogs become old enough to start training, most guide dog
schools will conduct a physical exam to analyze the dog's potential for
guide dog work. If the dog passes this test, they continue on to more
advanced training in a harness where they learn to help a person move
around safely, including such achievements as navigating curbs and
avoiding overhead obstacles. The dogs may be taught additional skills,
such as retrieving items for their handler.
At the end of approximately three months of individual training,
visually impaired students that have applied and are accepted begin to
work with their own guide dog under the instruction of the school or an
individual instructor. When the newly-created team has finished their
training, they are certified and released on their own. Depending on
the organization, follow-up training to ensure the dog is still doing
its job correctly may or may not be required.
By Maryann Mott HealthDay ReporterSun Feb 3, 5:02 PM ET
Following the global exploits of
James Bond, a guide dog will be seen all over the world from 5
February, appearing on the air mail version of a new series of Working Dogs in Action stamps.
These Working Dogs stamps will follow the current 007 series, and will be available at post offices and from www.royalmail.com/stamps
While there are 50,000 visually impaired people on Taiwan, the island
is home to only 18 seeing eye dogs. This indicates a serious shortage
of seeing eye dogs in Taiwan. The Huikuang Guide Dog Foundation,
located in Taichung, has been working on training a group of people to
train seeing eye dogs. The first group of locally trained seeing eye
dogs graduated from training this year, indicating that efforts of the
past 10 years to enable locals to train such dogs are starting to pay
off.
Ko Ming-chi, the chairman of the Huikuang Guide Dog Foundation and
the first person in Taiwan to employ a seeing eye dog, said that Taiwan
introduced seeing eye dogs about 10 years ago. It has taken quite a
while, however, to educate society about the use of such canines and
achieve acceptance. Ko said that many people have certain set
impressions about dogs. He said that one of the biggest problems people
with seeing eye dogs face is that the animals are not allowed into
restaurants or on public transportation. Ko lamented that even though
laws have been amended to allow such, just recently someone trying to
board a train at the Miaoli train station was prevented entry on the
train due to having a seeing eye dog. He said the reason is that seeing
eye dogs, while allowed to be on board non-express local trains, are
not allowed to be on the Tsu-Chiang Class Express Train. Ko shook his
head, saying that it is unbelievable how the rules can be structured
like this.
In addition to having to change society's perception of such
animals, at the most basic level, Taiwan is simply short of seeing eye
dogs. According to standards of the International Guide Dog Federation,
there should be a ratio of one to one hundred in the number of seeing
eye dogs to visually impaired people. Based on the number of legally
blind people on Taiwan, the island should have at least 500 seeing eye
dogs. At present, however, this number stands at only 18. The main
reason for this is that Taiwan has traditionally relied on importing
seeing eye dogs from other countries.
Ko said that in localizing the training of seeing eye dogs, the
first thing that needs to be accomplished is to train a group of people
to train the animals. Taiwan, however, to this point has lacked a
significant number of trainers, meaning that the process to train the
dogs has also been painstakingly slow. Despite all of these problems,
in April of this year a Labrador gave birth to eight pups, which were
sent to foster families where they could get accustomed to interacting
with humans. At an early age, the dogs then began to undergo training.
It is expected that in the coming three years, this will provide Taiwan
with another eight seeing eye dogs. After 2010, the number of seeing
eye dogs on Taiwan is expected to increase by 16 dogs annually.
Ko and a guide dog trainer, Chen Ya-fang, both said that training
dogs locally will significantly reduce the costs of preparing a dog to
go into service. Importing a seeing eye dog from overseas costs between
NT$500,000 and NT$1 million. However, the costs associated with
training a dog locally will be much less at between NT$250,000 and
NT$350,000. In addition, training dogs on Taiwan from the time they are
young will enable them to be more accustomed to the local environment,
which will reduce the time needed for an imported guide dog to adapt to
the setting here.
Another problem facing users of guide dogs on Taiwan is that quite
commonly the English comprehension ability of the dogs is better than
that of the master. Imported dogs have been trained in English and
respond to English commands, which means there is a language barrier
once the dogs get to Taiwan. In the future, locally trained dogs can be
trained in either Mandarin or Taiwanese, enabling the dog to respond to
commands in local languages.
While progress is being made in the localization of training of
seeing eye dogs, Ko admitted, however, that the foundation is
desperately in need of donations from the public. He said that the
costs of training a dog are significant and he hopes that society is
able to provide assistance in helping the organization. The phone
number of the Huikuang Guide Dog Foundation is (02) 2998-5588. The Web
site of the organization is: http://www.guidedog.org.tw/
The Seeing Eye Marks 10th Year of Canine Health Center
MORRISTOWN,
N.J. January 2007
For ten years, Seeing Eye® dogs have enjoyed the best medical
care possible, thanks in great part to the generous gift of
industrialist and philanthropist Vincent A. Stabile. The dogs and staff
of The Seeing Eye recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the
dedication of the Vincent A. Stabile Canine Health Center.
“The
Seeing Eye has always maintained a high standard of veterinary care for
its dogs,” said Dr. Dolores Holle, director of Canine Health
Management. “This facility, though, with its 45,000-plus square feet of
space, fulfilled our desire to provide the very best care in an optimum
facility.”
The Stabiles’ interest in Seeing Eye dogs began when Mr. Stabile’s sister, Antoniette “Toni” Stabile had a New York
neighbor who was blind and went to work daily, meticulously dressed and
led by a black Labrador retriever. One morning, Ms. Stabile found
herself behind the neighbor at a four-way crossing. The light was red,
but before she could offer him her help, the light turned green and the
man and dog were on their way.
Days later, Ms. Stabile was in
busy Midtown Manhattan, waiting behind a teenage boy who seemed to have
been blinded recently. The boy carried a cane, and an instructor
followed closely behind, providing him instructions. A short time
later, while waiting to board a train, Ms. Stabile witnessed a young
woman with a dog guide easily board the train steps without help. It
was then she realized how the teenager and many others could benefit by
the use of dog guides.
As an investigative journalist, she
researched the various dog guide schools and decided on the pioneering
Seeing Eye. She and Vincent Stabile drove to Morristown
to visit. Rosemary Carroll, the development director at that time, gave
them a tour, and they were so impressed that they asked what The Seeing
Eye might need. They were told that a new clinic would be most
beneficial, and Ms. Stabile responded, “There’s nothing too good for
these dogs.” Her brother agreed, and the idea for the clinic was born.
Following
their visit to the campus, Mr. Stabile offered the largest donation in
the history of the organization, and endowed funds to ensure ongoing
maintenance of the facility. Mr. Stabile passed away in 2002. He had
been an engineer, an entrepreneur, and a U.S. Naval officer.
During
the anniversary celebration, marked by cake and an educational
presentation for staff members who joined in more recent years, clinic
employees displayed photos and memorabilia of the construction and
dedication of the Canine Health Center. “The staff has enjoyed working
in such an open and light-filled environment,” said Dr. Holle, “and the
dogs have benefited greatly from the two examination rooms, the
surgical suite, the dental and x-ray areas, and isolation wards.”
Music
is piped into the kennel space, where as many as 200 dogs can play and
exercise, protected from the elements under runs with numerous
skylights.
The Seeing Eye, established in 1929, provides
specially bred and trained dogs to guide people who are blind. Seeing
Eye dog users experience greatly enhanced mobility and independence,
allowing them to retain their active lifestyles despite blindness. The
Seeing Eye is a philanthropy and is supported by contributions from
individuals, corporations and foundations, bequests, and other planned
gifts.
The Seeing Eye is a trademarked name and can only be used to describe the dogs bred and trained at the school’s facilities in Morristown, N.J. If you would like more information on The Seeing Eye, please visit the website at www.seeingeye.org or call (973) 539-4425.
A plan to introduce guide dogs was launched earlier this year for Shanghai's 158,000 blind and visually impaired citizens.The
first batch of labrador puppies from the U.K. has been in training
since MArch of 2007, and officials are hoping to place some of them
with families in February of 2008.
You can read more about the story by clicking on the link below, and learn more about Shanghai's Disabled Persons Federation here.
Japanese Guide Dogs Assist Deaf And Hearing Impaired
Guide
dogs for the visually impaired are relatively common, but only 13 dogs
in all of Japan are certified to aid the hearing-impaired.
Two of
these 13 dogs were trained by Kuniyoshi Shinden, who heads the
Volunteer Dog Training Center, a nonprofit organization in Itanocho,
Tokushima Prefecture. Daily Yomiuri Online - December 1, 2007
Indian Lab Retriever Named Most Socially Helpful Dog
A four-year-old Labrador Kutty from Thane near Mumbai has bagged top honours for being the world's most "socially helpful dog".
The honours for the Top Dog was courtesy an online poll conducted by the Washington-based Delta Society. Click on the link below to read more. NDTV.com - November 18, 2007
Dobie the Labrador retriever touched the hearts of many and now he has found a new career after winning the fight for his life. Dobie's
story began at a parking ramp in Golden Valley. When Dobie was a puppy,
someone threw him from the ramp to the ground below. Click on the link
below to see a video report and read how he's now, as a therapy dog, helping some people also discover a new
lease on life.
Guide Dogs Victoria Marks 50th Anniversary in Australia
Guide Dogs Victoria has come a long way – 50 years, in fact – and
the organisation’s presence is hard to miss in Ballarat. If you’re out
and about in the main street in the morning, it’s likely you will see
senior guide dog trainer Paula Foote with a young dog in harness,
teaching the dog the skills it will need when guiding a legally blind
person.
Read more about this story at the link below, and find out more about Guide Dogs Victoria in Australia here.
