Service dogs play an important role in the community to improve the quality of life of many people. Service dogs can be trained to assist people with diabetes, autism, cancer, and other illnesses. Trained dogs can help people who are visually impaired, deaf, or prone to seizures.
Let’s look in more detail at the important role that service dogs play in the community.
First, it’s important to remember that service dogs aren’t pets. They have been trained to carry out specific tasks and jobs to assist people with illness or disabilities. This means that you shouldn’t pet or distract service dogs.
Guide dogs
Labradors or Golden Retrievers are often trained to guide people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired. They have a special harness that helps to guide their owner around obstacles and safely get to their destination. Guide dogs can interpret street signs and know when it’s safe to cross the road.
Hearing dogs
Hearing dogs are trained to assist people who are deaf. They alert their owners to doorbells, alarms, or other unexpected noises. Hearing dogs need to be able to work well in stressful, noisy situations. Many breeds are used as hearing dogs including Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, and even mixed breeds.
Support dogs
Service dogs are also used to support people with special needs who may have difficulty with everyday situations. These dogs are trained to help people who suffer from panic attacks, deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or depression.
Other types of support dogs help people with autism because they provide a sense of predictability. They can also act as trusted companions for children who feel isolated and stress when interacting with others.
Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility assistance dogs are an invaluable help to people with limited mobility or who are in a wheelchair. For example, mobility assistance service dogs can help to pick up objects, open doors, turn lights on and off, push elevator buttons, or provide balance for their owners.
Seizure response dogs
People who suffer from epilepsy or seizure disorder are greatly benefited from seizure response dogs. These types of service dogs are able to recognize subtle signs that a person is about to have a seizure. They may bark to alert others or active a life-alert system.
There is no doubt about it, service dogs play a vital role in improving the lives of many people in our community.