Service Dogs

My friend, Diantae, wrote and article on service dogs and I’d love to share it with you. He recently trained his own dog. Be sure to stop and visit his blog, Video Games and Bacon, as he posted during the training.

Service dogs provide all kinds of services. They are marketable in that they have real value. They don’t come off an assembly line, though some assembly may be required. My service dog was missing part of his tail and won’t be reproducing it. I wasn’t new when I got him, so I have no room to complain.

What’s a service dog?

Service dogs preform tasks that may be difficult for individuals to perform. For some people the dogs do for them what would be impossible to do for themselves.

Seeing eye dogs are so often the first thing that people think of when service dogs are mentioned. They weren’t the first dogs to serve men. Poodles used to be known as large dogs that wore armor and charged into battle along with knights. Now, when you say poodle, the name ‘Fifi’ always comes to my mind. Fufu is their definition. They are now pets.

Service dogs are known to help a lot of individuals with disabilities that can be obvious, such as the deaf or blind. Different disabilities are hard to deal with. Service dogs are not so much known to deal with mental and emotional disabilities.

Labradors are well respected as good service dogs because of their calm nurturing nature. Patience and a bit of calmness go a long way.

For children with special needs, sometimes balance can be an issue. Harnesses can be fitted to a full grown dog in order to facilitate easier mobility.
Dogs have been used for herding for centuries. My dog Merlin tries to keep me and Renee in the same room all the time. If one of us goes from one room to the other, he’ll run behind whoever’s in front and every few steps turns around to see if the other is following. If we aren’t, then he’ll come back and try to herd us both into the same room. I think he just likes his pack staying together. I’m pretty sure that a dog bringing your kid back to you because the child tried to take off when you blinked or something is a manifestation of the dog’s innate herding instinct. Children are curious. Sometimes they wander.

My dog, the kidney bean, is with me because of mental and emotional issues I have. I don’t need to tell anybody what my mental and/or emotional conditions are. A manager of a store may ask 2 questions. One I expect will always be “What does he do?” This is a very general question. The answers would make a long list, starting with eat, poop, and sleep. That’s not what they mean, but my sarcastic nature wants to take over sometimes.

I don’t need to rehash the reason I need him. I tell them that he alerts me when to take my medication. I don’t have to tell him that sometimes I don’t do anything because I emotionally and mentally can’t summon the strength nor willpower to do anything. The dog cuddles with me too much and warm fuzzies are almost always welcome.

He also farts, which cheers me up, as weird as it may be, because sometimes he scares himself and barks at his behind. He constantly pays attention to me when I need attention. He needs a lot of attention too. Children need a lot of attention also and a well trained service dog doesn’t just stop at giving their owner attention, but genuine affection. Dogs are always always protective of their owners and want to be appreciated, so they will do amazing things that you didn’t know would be as big a help as they are, because that dog wants to be your best friend.

Two things I would look for to see if a child and a dog are compatible: 1) look at the dog and ask yourself if he looks like a happy dog, and 2) look at the child and see if he is smiling. Service dogs are not pets though. A service dog may be your dog, and may be a family member, but keep in mind that when that dog puts on his uniform, he is on duty. He pulls his weight in the household by performing his duty day in and day out.

Service dogs will steal from you sometimes! Just like a human employee, but it’s my fault I left the hotdog at face level to a quiet carnivore. Other than that, you can rest assured that he will never steal from you, tell the neighbors your awful secrets, or suddenly decide they don’t like you any more and find a new owner. All you have to do for a service dog is provide, food, shelter, treats, love, and sometimes bacon.