Kinds of Service Dogs

Service dogs are trained to guide and protect the disabled, particularly blind or vision-impaired people, but also people who are deaf, have seizure disorders or psychiatric illness. At least 10,000 Americans rely on these canines daily to keep them safe. These meticulously trained dogs pull wheelchairs, flip on light switches, open doors, and fetch items for people with paralysis. Service dogs are not pets and federal laws protect the rights of people with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals in public places.

  1. Guide Dogs

    • Golden retrievers are among the breeds trained as guide dogs for the blind.

      Guide dogs help the blind or vision-impaired, and are the most commonly recognized type of service dogs. One such service organization is Guide Dogs for the Blind, a nonprofit in Oregon begun in 1942. This group employs Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador Retriever/Golden Retriever mixes as guide dogs. Programs that match a guide dog with a person consider the pair a team. The dog is trained to lead the person, obey various commands and to avoid obstacles or pitfalls, while the person learns to give orders and reward the dog with praise.

    Signal Dogs

    • The deaf or hearing impaired may employ a service dog to alert them to intruders or smoke alarms.

      Signal dogs alert the deaf or hearing-impaired to critical everyday sounds, including the doorbell, alarm clock, telephone, a baby's cry or a smoke alarm. These dogs know to make physical contact with their owners and lead them to the sound's origin, or away from danger. Signal dogs, or "hearing dogs," are often mixed breeds in small to medium size rescued from shelters and trained to respond to audio cues. Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of nonprofit groups that train and place service dogs, has set standards for hearing dogs. These dogs must be able to recognize at least three sounds and respond to their owners within 15 seconds from the moment the sound occurs.

    Therapy Dogs

    • This war veteran enjoys a service dog's charms and skills for working with trauma survivors.

      Therapy dogs who assist people with emotional support are not legally defined by federal law but some states have definitions that allow the dogs to accompany their owners in public places. A "companion dog" is not a legal term. Some volunteer programs regulate and offer training and placement of therapy dogs. Therapy dogs have outstanding temperaments and are well-trained in basic obedience commands. These dogs regularly visit nursing homes, hospital wards, schools, and other institutions, where they are paired off with a person. Therapy dogs are believed to help people suffering from traumatic stress disorder, high blood pressure, and depression. Since the 1970s, volunteer programs in the United States have offered free visitations to institutions.

    Mobility Dogs

    • Service dogs can pull wheelchairs or fetch items for their disabled owners.

      Mobility dogs assist people with disabilities other than vision or hearing. These dogs are trained to help with household chores, such as laundry or dressing, while also ready to help their owners move about safely. Mobility dogs pull wheelchairs or lend body support or balance to people who have disabilities that impair walking or stair-climbing. People with types of autism, seizure disorder, or paralysis benefit from these specially trained mobility dogs. Also, people with medical alert issues such as low blood sugar and people with psychiatric disorders also employ mobility dogs. These dogs often wear backpacks or training harnesses that identify them as service dogs.

    Considerations

    • Not every beloved pooch is a true "service dog," which the disabled rely on to lead full lives.

      For decades, disabled people have relied upon service dogs to help them make better lives despite blindness, hearing loss or other physical limitations. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act protects the civil rights of the disabled so that service dogs may enter public places and private businesses without harassment. However, the federal law also prohibits anyone from demanding documented proof that these dogs are service animals, setting up a loophole for pet owners who either do not know or do not care that the law does not apply to them. These days, Internet-based companies sell "certifications" such as laminated badges and even orange dog vests that claim the dog is in service. The government considers these papers -- and vests -- fraudulent. Legally, disabled people may only be asked if the dog is a service dog for disabilities, and if so, what tasks does the dog provide.