A Dog's Job for Blind & Sick People

Dogs that help blind and disabled people begin their training in puppyhood. They are selected for traits of attentiveness, temperament and size rather than from specific breeds. The dogs, called service dogs or assistance dogs, work with families or organizations who train them to be of help. Service dogs were originally used as "seeing-eye" dogs to help the visually impaired. Today they help people with a broad range of disabilities. It is estimated that about 20,000 service dogs are at work in the United States.

  1. Scope

    • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 defines a service dog as one "individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability." Also according to the ADA, a 'disability' is a "mental or physical condition which substantially limits a major life activity." Service dogs perform a wide variety of tasks for the blind and disabled. They can make the disabled person independent with an involved and active lifestyle instead of isolated and dependent on other humans for help.

    Signal

    • These dogs help hearing-impaired and deaf people. When the smoke alarm, household timers like the microwave or clothes dryer sound, the dog lets the person know by giving a gentle touch with its paw or nose. Then the dog leads the person to the source of the sound, or outside in case of fire or smoke. With a dog's excellent sense of hearing, this might be an easy job. The training involves learning to distinguish between important and non-important sounds.

    Mobility Assistant

    • Disabled veterans and other people with mobility issues rely on mobility assistant service dogs. This dog pulls the wheelchair while walking in a specially equipped harness. It helps balance or support the person while walking at a comfortable pace. This service dog picks up dropped items, retrieves needed items, such as telephones or television remotes, and helps position others for easier use. The dog may help the person dress and undress. Mobility assistance dogs are usually strong in order to perform the weight-bearing tasks on the extensive list of duties.

    Seizure Response

    • One of the most impressive service dogs is the seizure response dog. This canine warns epileptics and other people prone to seizures that an episode is on the way, though no one is quite certain how they know. The dog will react in a way that will warn the person to take medication or get into a safe position to withstand the seizure. The dog, if powerful enough, may even pin or hold the person in place during the crisis. The dog will stay close to the person after the seizure until equilibrium returns and the person feels safe again. There are dogs who react similarly for heart patients, forewarning of cardiac episodes in much the same way an epilepsy dog warns an epileptic patient.

    Guide Dogs

    • Guide dogs work in a harness to guide visually impaired and blind people as they move through their day. The highly trained dogs are the kind of service dogs most familiar to the general public and have been employed since the late 1920s. This kind of dog helps locate dropped or needed items the person cannot find. It helps the person navigate when walking in public, even in the busiest traffic and on public transportation. This dog's job is complex and the training period lengthy.

    Medical Assistance

    • A service dog that is quite useful is the medical assistance dog. This one can help keep track of patients with Alzheimer's disease, or get help when the person is having an asthma attack or diabetic episode. Trained to notice subtle changes in the body scent of a person with low blood glucose, the dog offers help. Dogs trained to work with psychiatric patients can remind them to take medicine, call for help when the person begins to act abnormally such as in a manic or psychotic episode or get a depressed person out of the house for fresh air and exercise.