SERVICE DOGS

This summer my mother received Hawking.  Hawking is a golden retriever and he is trained as a service animal.  My Mother suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and she has been on a waiting list for 2 years trying to get a service dog.  Hawking has been an enormous help to her; he performs many tasks and makes everyday life much easier.  This week I’m going to talk about service animals, and about New Horizons Service Dogs, a great organization that changes the lives of disabled people every day.

If you have ever been out eating at a restaurant or running errands and you’ve seen a dog that is wearing a vest and staying very close to their owner you have more than likely seen a service dog.

The ADA, which is the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, defines a service dog as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.  This means that emotional support animals are not considered service animals; the dog has to be trained to perform specific tasks.

So how does a dog become a service animal?  

I’m going to focus on how New Horizons Service Dogs trains their animals.  They are a nonprofit training and placement organization that is located in Orange City and provide dogs to Florida residents that have a need for a service animal.

According to New Horizons the first thing to consider for a service dog is the breed.  The most common service dogs are Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and German Sheppards.  These dogs are considered the most ideal because of their size, temperament, and intelligence.  You want a dog that is going to be big enough to help balance a disabled person and help them sit and stand.  You want a dog that is friendly and can go out in public and not have any issues coming in contact with strangers or other animals.  And you want a dog that is smart enough to learn and remember the over 80 commands that they need to learn.

For the first 4 to 6 months the dog is trained by a puppy raiser, learning basic obedience and skills.

Then the puppy is sent to prison.  New Horizons started its first Prison Pup Program in 2009 and the Florida Department of Corrections was so pleased with the results that there are now programs in 4 different prisons in Florida.  At the Prisons the puppies are further trained in socialization and basic to intermediate skills and tasks.

Following their prison sentence the puppies are taken to advanced trainers which finish they training of the dogs and get them ready to be placed with a disabled person to become their helper dog.

So how does someone get a service dog?  

People with disabilities apply and are interviewed to determine if a service dog is a good fit for their situation.  There is a high demand for service dogs and the waiting list can be as long as 2 to 4 years.

What are the most common disabilities that New Horizons trains for?

When most people think of service dogs they are probably picturing a Seeing Eye dog.  A dog that guides the seeing impaired or the blind.  But New Horizons doesn’t train these dogs.

The first type of person that New Horizons serves is those with neurological diseases and those with spinal injuries.  My mother has MS which is Multiple Sclerosis and that is a neurological disease that affects a person’s balance, causes them to get exhausted very easily and really weakens the hands and feet.  It usually ends with the person being confined to a wheelchair.  Spinal injuries can paralyze arms and legs and can also confine the person to a wheelchair.  For these types of disabilities service dogs are immensely helpful.  They can retrieve dropped items. Turn on light switches, open doors, and hand items to other people.

The next 2 disorders that New Horizons helps most often are ones that I would never have guessed.  The first is PTSD, which is post traumatic stress disorder.  PTSD is a result of trauma and can occur when being exposed to life threatening situations.  For people suffering from PTSD service dogs provide a calming and consistent presence wherever the person goes.  Sometimes Veterans have a hard time assimilating back into everyday life.  The dog will position itself between its owner and strangers, and will literally watch their back when commanded.  Veterans sometimes can’t deal with having people behind them and position themselves with their backs against a wall so they can see everything in front of them.  With the command ‘cover’ the dog will watch the opposite direction and notify the owner of anyone else’s presence.  These dogs give their owners tremendous piece of mind.

The third disability that New Horizons focuses on is children with autism. Through companionship, comfort, and unconditional love, service dogs help provide a calming sense of consistency and stability in the child’s life.  Many of the young recipients have been able to develop a relationship with their dog unlike any that one is able to have with humans.

What happens next? 

Once you’ve been selected to receive a service dog you must complete a 2 week training program.  When you arrive the woman that runs New Horizons has already selected a dog for you based on your needs and the dogs strengths and weaknesses.  She is generally very accurate with her assessments and doesn’t have to switch dogs very often.

For the 2 week training the people are tested with examinations as well as hands on handling of the dogs.  Finally they are taken into the real world on field trips to practice practical skills that will be used in their everyday life.  For the next year New Horizons checks in on the dogs and their owners to make sure everything is running smoothly.

How to act around a service dog:

Ignore them – don’t pet, call, or whistle at service dogs.  They are working and don’t need any distractions.

If you must pet the dog ask first.  The dogs know a ‘make a friend’ command and that is the only time they should pay attention to people other than their masters.

Teach children never to pet a strange dog.  This is good advice for anyone.  Always ask permission, and go by whatever the owner says.