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WHY AM MAN’S BEST FRIEND You have often heard that dogs are man’s best friend in so many places and movies. True to this, dogs have become one of the best companions both to the able and disabled members of society. The case mostly applies when it comes to people living with disabilities. This is due to the presence of special dogs known as service dogs. These are dogs that have been specifically trained to offer assistance in different ways. Some of the disabilities that these kinds of dogs can assist in include the following: 1.Epilepsy 2.Cancer 3.Autism 4.Post-traumatic stress disorder 5.Bone and skeletal disabilities 6.Paralysis 7.Diabetes 8.Sensory disabilities such as deafness and blindness 9.Multiple sclerosis One of the best reasons for such dogs is that they are even allowed by law to accompany the disabled in any place that they go to. All kinds of institutions and premises are obligated by the law to allow the dog owner to have the dogs despite their regulations. However, you need to ensure your dog is registered as a service dog. Whether as a trainer or a companion, you can easily get to know how to register a service dog so as to avoid any complications. Steps First of all you need to ensure that you have to ensure that your disability is valid, either emotional physiological. The second step is ensuring that the dog you are going to register is adequately trained for the assistance that you need from it. The last step on how to register a service dog is basically getting the necessary certificates from the relevant agency in the state that you are in. Once you have registered your dog, you will be capable of travelling to wherever you need to go without worrying about being obstructed by any regulation on buildings or even transport agencies as you will have the necessary certificates. Just as there are different disabilities, there are as well very many different dogs that can perform helper tasks for each kind of disability. The different kinds of dogs include the following: Guide dogs Guide dogs are basically dogs that are trained to assist people with sight disabilities. They are trained on how to carefully lead the persons across traffic and all other places that they might find themselves in. They are usually equipped with a special strap on that helps the person to hold as they are being guided. Some of the times they are usually wearing a vest to alert the people around but in some cases the vest might not be on. There are several kinds of dogs that can perform such tasks. These include: 1.Golden retrievers 2.Labrador retrievers
3.Poodles Hearing dogs As the name suggests, these dogs are trained for those with hearing disabilities. These dogs go through tremendous training to teach them how to alert their person companions of noises that they hear. The service dogs in this case usually alert their human through touch and lead them to where the noise is emanating from. There are very many kinds of dog types for this assistance. They are: 1.Golden retrievers 2.Labrador retrievers 3.Miniature poodles 4.Cocker spaniels Mobility assist dogs In this situation the kind of dog is usually dependent on the person needing assistance and the kind of assistance that they may need. The size of the person or the tasks the dog might be performing is what determines the type of dog that is trained. Some of the tasks involved in this case include fetching important material for the disabled. The service dogs are also trained in pressing buttons that the person might need. For instance, the dog might help in pressing automatic buttons in cars or even elevators. In some instances they are used to help the person carry groceries and even sometimes used to drag the wheelchair up ram and stairs. Seizure alert and response dogs There has been a lot of controversy when it comes to whether dogs are capable of predicting seizures. Many research agencies claim that this is not possible despite the numerous instances where dog owners have claimed that their dogs alerted them prior to the attack. Regardless of the truth to this, dog trainers teach dogs how to react when they see the first sign of a person have an attack so that they can alert others for help. They can bark for help and in some cases even press alarms to alert medical personnel of the seizure. Furthermore, they are trained to get the seizing patient away from dangerous places. Psychiatric support dogs These dogs are quite special in the kind of training that they are put through. They are trained to help people that have gone through life changing events such as accidents and even those that have gone through war such as soldiers. In this case, the dogs usually help the person in providing a safe space and a companion for such people when they get panic attacks so that they can reassure them and help them overcome such episodes. In PTSD cases, the dogs usually are trained to help the individual gain some personal space by themselves acting as physical barriers between the person and other individuals so as not to offset the episodes. Diabetic alert dogs When the blood sugar level in the body changes to an alarming level, the body usually changes and as a result the scent from our bodies changes. Dogs are capable of ascertaining such changes through their sense of smell. Such dogs are usually trained on how to alert the person to check their blood sugar level. On alert, the person can check their level and quickly take their insulin shots before they get to a critical condition. In other cases the dogs might be trained to alert other persons in case the condition is critical or even go ahead to set off response alarms situated in the house.
Whatever the disability you find yourself in, there is a best friend out there to help you in any situation you might find yourself in. Now that you also know how to register a service dog, you can have your companion with you everywhere you want to go. Learn more on our website, Service Dog Registration of America.
