Assistance Dog: This
is the main or “umbrella” term that the different types of dogs described below fall under. It is also
important to remember not all types of assistance dogs (listed below) have
access to public places or are protected under ADA
Service Dog: A dog that works for individuals with
disabilities other than blindness or deafness. They are trained to perform a
wide variety of tasks including but not limited to; pulling a wheelchair,
bracing, retrieving, alerting to a medical crisis, and providing assistance in
a medical crisis. Service dogs can also facilitate hand/eye coordination and
balance. Service Dogs (in most cases)
have public access.
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It is also very important
to understand that no 2 service dogs are the same. While the “basic training” of service dogs remains
standard, each and every Service Dog is specially trained to meet the exact
needs of the client it will be partnered with. The training is very specialized
can take up to 2 years depending on what tasks the dog will need to provide the
veteran or client. This type of training is also a good way to distinguish good
Service Dog agencies from the rest.
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It is also very important
that any agency providing a Service Dog to a veteran/client have Assistance Dog
International Accreditation (ADI ) accreditation, not just “membership.” This will also help you acquire your VA provided benefits for the upkeep of the dog and/or follow current DOD policy for having assistance Dogs on Military Installations. ADI is the ONLY internationally recognized organization that provides
proper guidelines and standards for Assistance Dogs. In addition, this is the
same organization that helped to write the ADA Laws and works hand in hand with
the International Association of Guide Dogs (the equivalent for Guide Dog training).
Hearing Dog: Hearing
Dogs learn to alert individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to basic sounds
such as a smoke alarm, a ringing telephone, a crying baby or a doorbell. The
dog is trained to alert the individual of a sound and then lead them to the
sound. For example, if the sound being
alerted to is a smoke alarm, the dog then accompanies/escorts the owner out of
the building automatically.
Guide Dog: A dog that has been specially
trained to guide a blind or visually impaired person. Guide Dog tasks involve
curb work, being sensitive to changes in elevation, guiding around clearance
issues (pedestrians, overheads, etc.) and guiding a person safely around and
through street traffic.
Seizure Response Dog: A dog trained to (among other things) push
life-alert buttons, help and/or comfort a person during a seizure and get help
or retrieve the phone for the client. Although most reputable assistance dog
agencies do not profess to train dogs to detect seizures, many Seizure Dogs
have, after several years with a client, developed the ability to alert their
owner of an oncoming seizure.
Skilled Companion Dogs: A dog trained to
work with an individual with a disability under the guidance of a facilitator.
A facilitator is typically a parent, spouse, or caregiver who handles and cares
for the assistance dog and is responsible for the customized training needs of
the dog. Though similar to a Service dog, Skilled Companion Dogs usually
perform fewer tasks. Many of these dogs
were once in training programs to become Service or Guide dogs. Skilled
Companion dogs work only in the home of the recipient and do not have public access.
Therapy or Social Dog: This type of dog does not fall under the “umbrella” of
being an Assistance Dog. Social or
Therapy dogs’ work is usually focused on providing a change to a person's emotional
or psychological state. These dogs provide the wonderful service of bringing
joy to people through activities such as visiting hospitals and retirement homes;
however, they are not Assistance Dogs and require no specialized training.
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Public Access: The
right of a person with a disability to be accompanied by his/her Assistance Dog
in all public accommodations. Public access is granted to the person with the
disability, not to the assistance dog. This is outlined in American with Disabilities
Act law.
Note: We are not promoting any one organization, we are simply providing the most accurate information & assist you.
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Please
remember this in no way represents every type of working dog & only
includes the most basic of explanations and definitions. My sincere hope is to
educate the general population & federal agencies on all aspects of
assistance animals. However, I think it is important that we start with the basics
in an effort to move this forward correctly. I believe many problems stem from a
general lack of understanding, causing terms to be used incorrectly or
interchangeably, as well as contributing to the spread of misinformation on
this valuable resource & benefit to our veteran and military populations.
WE CANNOT EXPECT
TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE FOR THE BETTER WITHOUT TAKING THE INITIATIVE & ACTION
TO EDUCATE!
~Christina M Roof
