Assistance Dogs - More Than Just Man's Best Friend

[heidi1439]

Dogs have been a favorite pet for many individuals. In fact, the typical "All-American" family is frequently pictured with a beautiful Golden Retriever. But, for the last 70 years, dogs have been something much more important than just a canine companion; they've been the eyes, ears, hands, and voice of many individuals with disabilities.

An "assistance dog" is any dog who helps a person with a physical, cognitive, or seizure related disability or illness, including, but not limited to blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, or epilepsy. Assistance dogs consist of the following types:

Guide dogs, also known as seeing-eye dogs, are for visually impaired individuals. They allow the individual greater success at mobility by helping him or her avoid obstacles, stop at curbs, and negotiate traffic.

Hearing dogs assist hearing impaired individuals by alerting them to sounds such as a door knock, telephone, smoke alarm, or name call. These dogs are trained to lead the individuals to the source of the sound.

Service dogs assist physically disabled individuals by retrieving objects, pulling wheelchairs, removing items of clothing such as shoes and jackets, opening and closing doors, turning light switches on and off, finding another person, calling 911 for emergencies, and assisting a person to walk by providing balance using a specially designed harness.

• Included in the service dog category is the seizure alert dog. The seizure alert dog is trained to alert the person who has seizures, or the parents of a child who has seizures, when that individual is going to have one. These dogs can actually predict when the person is going to have a seizure by smelling the changes in the body chemistry. The alert dogs are particularly useful for those who may fall and injure themselves when having a seizure.

• Also included is the seizure response dog. These dogs are trained to react appropriately to, not alert to, a seizure and help the individual recover from the seizure. When the dog senses that something is wrong, he will look at the person intensely. If the person does not respond to him, he may lick or paw at the person until he is acknowledged and sure that the person has recovered.

Social dogs, though not legally recognized as true "assistance dogs," are used to provide assistance to individuals in social situations with other people. They are often used for children who have disorders that limit their ability to interact with other people. Children with autism, especially, can benefit from the use of social dogs. For example, many autistic children have behaviors that interfere with social acceptance, such as hand-biting or head-banging. The dog can be trained to alert the child's caregiver, either by barking or leading the caregiver to the child, when the child displays the inappropriate behavior. Also, children with autism may have difficulty with basic social functions such as recognizing people, recognizing emotions, and recognizing attempts to communicate. This may be misinterpreted by others as a sign that the child is not interested in socializing. If the child has a social dog, however, the presence of the dog alone can initiate an interaction between the child and his peers. Also, the social dog can be trained to play with the child in a way that would be appealing to other children, encouraging them to join in the fun.

Therapy dogs, also not legally considered assistance dogs, are useful for helping children in physical therapy sessions. The dogs offer encouragement and stimulation while the child performs therapeutic exercises. They can help with standing, crawling, grasping, pushing, pulling, and climbing stairs. For example, if a child is learning to combat crawl, the therapist can have either the dog combat crawl first (as a game) or the child can be encouraged to crawl to the dog. Or, if the child is learning to jump, the therapist might have the child and the dog jump off a stool. In addition to the physical benefits a therapy dog can provide, they are also used to help individuals with their psychological well-being.

As you can see, assistance dogs are not just for adults. In fact, there are organizations who cater solely to children (individuals under the age of 18). One such organization is Loving Paws, a nonprofit organization which trains dogs to assist children who have physical disabilities. In this particular program, the child and the parent receive two weeks of training with the dog. The parent is put in a wheelchair, is expected to participate in the class, and will have to pass all written and practical tests.

The benefits of using dog assistance with disabled children are that the children will generally assume more responsibility for their needs. They take a more active role in determining the course of their lives, with greater self-esteem and confidence, because the dog increases their independence. Individuals with the following disabilities have benefitted from dog assistance:

Cerebral Palsy
Spina Bifida
Visual or hearing deficits
Spinal cord injury
Ataxia
Muscular Dystrophy
Seizures

Consider, for example, a young woman named Corinne, and her dog, Rosie. When Corinne was 16 years old, she broke her neck and is medically considered a C4-C5 quadriplegic. She is paralyzed from the shoulders down, although, is fortunate enough to have some movement in her arms to allow her control of her electric wheelchair. Corinne shares her story with us:

I had traveled to San Francisco, just months after a fall which left me paralyzed, to continue therapy through the spinal cord injury ward of the Shriners Hospital. I was already interested in finding myself a service animal, however, every service dog organization in the U.S. has at least a three year waiting list. By the time I reached Shriners, I was at the end of all of them. So, when I had spent some time at Shriners, I inquired as to whether or not there was a service dog organization in San Francisco; this was where I got lucky. I learned that there was a woman named Linda Jennings who was attempting to get a new training group off the ground, and who also needed candidates for the program.

My mom and I immediately set up an appointment with Linda, who quickly arranged to make a trip up to San Francisco with three of her dogs to visit us. I remember watching Linda take her dogs through some of their commands; opening a drawer, picking up a toy, and putting the toy into Linda's hand. We went into my room, and Linda proceeded to ask Mom and me a few questions about me, my limitations, and our family. The idea was to learn more about me so that she could find a dog who would meet my needs. She left that day after giving us an application and answering our questions about service dogs.

I left Shriners on November 18th of 1994. After returning home and rejoining my class at school, I kept in touch with Linda, answering questions that she had, and keeping up on her progress in finding a dog to suit me. I think it was mid December when I received two pictures from Linda. One was a black lab named Ziggy, and the other was a black and white border collie mix named Rosie.

In June of 1995, my Mom and I returned to Shriners with the intention of attending a two week long clinic that would teach us how to work with a service dog. The clinic worked on teaching me the commands that I would need to know, helping me to learn how to give the commands, and teaching me how to deal with my dog in public. The last day of class was dedicated to a final test and then a graduation ceremony for Rosie and me.

Since my first weeks with Rosie, we have gone everywhere together. Rosie sat through debates on the Odyssey in my Senior English class (she was the first dog to ever graduate from Whitefish High School) and she walked away from my mom with me on our first day of college at the University of Montana. Now, Rosie is an honorary member of the University of Montana Advocates, she gives tours of the campus with me, and when I go back to Whitefish High School as a recruiter for the University, she will be at my side. When we cross the campus, as many students say "hi" to Rosie as do to me.

Rosie has been a well appreciated aide in my transition from living at home, to living independently and meeting new people. Rosie helps me with tasks such as: opening the doors in my apartment, which are all lever handles; picking things up off the floor or from a shelf, my bed, or whatever; pushing buttons in the elevator or access buttons for opening doors; turning on light switches; and retrieving a friend or family member if I need help.

However important the everyday tasks are, the way Rosie helps most is in the way that she helps me to interact with others. After my accident, I noticed that people didn't know what to say, or how to approach me. I became the "girl in the wheelchair." Rosie gives people a reason to approach me. Especially living on a college campus, I have been able to meet numerous people simply by having them ask about my dog. Rather than seeing my wheelchair, people began to see my dog, and through her, were able to learn about me. These social interactions are a much needed part of my personality; a part that was difficult to overcome without Rosie.

If you are interested in learning more about assistance dogs, visit the sites referenced below or go to Assistance Dogs and More at http://www.home.att.net/~care4k9, for a directory of programs that specialize in working with children.

References:

• Assistance Dogs International http://www.assistance-dogs-intl.org
• International Association of Assistance Dog Partners http://www.ismi.net/iaadp/index.html
• Loving Paws http://www.lovingpaws.com/home.html
• Cozy Canine House http://www.home.att.net/~care4k9
• Susquehanna Service Dogs http://www.kss.org/ssd/ssd.htm