Essay On Service Dog

Thank you for responding, it really means a lot! I am 16 years old and I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder with the traits of paranoid schizophrenia (including hallucinations and delusions), chronic depression, and generalized anxiety. I have had these mental illnesses since birth and living in day to day life can be difficult and exhausting for me.

There are between 45 to 55 million dogs per household in America (American Humane Association 2012). Furthermore, according to a national survey, the majority of dog owners chose to get a dog for the companionship as the major reason for having a dog (American Animal Hospital Association, 2004). After all, dogs are nonjudgmental, give unconditional love, can be trusted with our most intimate feelings and emotions, and are highly intelligent. These dog characteristics can significantly enhance the lives of thousands of youth and adults, especially those with disabilities and/or those who live in continuing care facilities. There are approximately 20,000 service dogs in the U.S., which includes 10,000 guide dogs (American Humane Association 2012)

“If the fake service dog scam continues to escalate, real service dogs, and the privileges and respect they are entitled to, will be in jeopardy.” (Lichtenberg). Service dogs are needed for people with PTSD, Disabilities, Clinical Depression and GAD. A lot of people rely on these wonderful animals to help them get through the day. For example, people who use dogs to help with depression ,what if they get into a bad mood and attempt suicide, the dog will get someone's attention or can even call 911. Soldiers with PTSD suffer from flashbacks and the dog can calm soldiers down and help them know what is real and not. They are not meant to help people who just want to take their dog into the store or have “stressful” or “bad” days. We all get those. Service dogs are beneficial to the world and save lives, you should not be able to just order a kit off the Internet to “license” your dog to be a service dog. Lives are at risk and its wrong to mock the need of a service dog.

At first sight, service dogs look like any other dog. They are furry. They walk on all fours. They have a tail. But they have many differences from other dogs. Service dogs are well behaved and are obedient. They wear clothing that no other dog wears such as a vest to make people aware that they are service dogs. Service dogs perform tasks that no other dogs can do, like paying for meals and carrying objects for their owners, sometimes in a vest compartment like a backpack. Service dogs are unlike other dogs because they are trained to do tasks that human beings normally do, but can’t because of some disability. Service dogs help their owners navigate the world they live in by assisting their owners in overcoming day to day

There are many views on whether or not servicemen and women should be able to keep the dogs that they trained after their time in the army is up. In my opinion, dogs should be kept after service is over. Even though these dogs really belong to the Marines, their handlers should have a say in what happens to the dog. If the handlers are hurt during war, the dogs could be sent to another serviceman or woman. This needs to change very soon.

If you have a dog you can understand that they are protective, territorial, and sometimes even temperamental, but they need a best friend, to be taken care of, and they need a lot of love. Now, if you have a pitbull you know they can be a little more demanding, they need more than other dog breeds. Thanks to people who breed dogs for fighting have given pitbulls a bad name. Mostly everyone thinks that that is all pitbulls are, fighters, but they are so much more than that. Pitbulls are beautiful, compassionate, trustworthy dogs who have made a difference in many people’s lives, some bad but most good. Many people cannot stand pit bulls, and some people even hate them, even though many people believe they made good service dogs, some people allow pit bulls around their small children, and all pit bulls protect their owners.

When the Labs are just three months old they will be assigned a foster home. This family will care for the puppies for the next year. They family will more than likely have children in the home because this offers a better way of socializing the dogs from the start. This family will teach this puppy many basic commands like: sit, stay, walking on a leash, fetch, and come. It will be put into as many

Work animals, including dogs and horses, have been around for centuries, used for working on the farm or for transportation. In Mark Ostermeier’s article he explains that after World War I, people started training animals, specifically dogs, to escort veterans with disabilities. The 1960’s, is when the first formalized dog training schools started to emerge in America. As service dogs became more prevalent in public places, the public did not understand the training involved for these dogs to do their job. Due to the lack of knowledge of the purpose of a service animal, business owners, corporations and airlines prevented Americans with service dogs from gaining access to public places.

So service dogs need training. One of the problems with people who need a service dog is that it is hard to know where to start. Their doctor tells them that they need one and gives them a letter stating so, but then they are on their own. Most people look to service dog organizations. These organizations train the dogs to their own set standard and will try to match them up with the right dog for their needs. This all of course comes at a cost to the disabled person. (who already has many extra costs in life.) The costs can range from five hindered to twenty thousand. One the disabled person has decided that

“Veterans report that service dogs help break their isolation. People will often avert their eyes when they see a wounded veteran. But when the veteran has a dog, the same people will come up and say, 'Hi' to pet the dog and then strike up a conversation.” This quote from United States Senator Al Franken is a shining example of the power that a service animal can have to improve the quality of life for those with special needs who have a service animal. Imagine!

Service and Therapy Dogs According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, “A service dog is any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal, individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability,” (Levingson). This means that a service dog can help people with a variety of disabilities once trained. There are two main classifications for a therapy dog: service dogs, who help those with physical disabilities, and psychdogs, who help those with mental disabilities.

There should be certain measures taken to become a service dog. It should not be made as simply as going online, buying a vest and calling a dog a service dog when in reality they are not.

The cost of a service dog can be very expensive, if not obtained by an organization that receives donations and helps the family out. The average annual cost to maintain a dog was $1307, with a range of $195-$5134 (Davis 134). The daily routine changes in some of the families affected the dogs negatively. The dog would have bathroom accidents in the home, which were frowned upon by the family. The stress of the day to day activities with the child would be too much for the dog to handle at times, fatigue and attitude changes were apparent. The majority of problems faced with a service dog can be eliminated, with a set routine and normal breaks given to the dog.

The German Shepherd is not only one of the world's most popular companion dogs, but also probably the most widely used breed for service work. The development of the German Shepherd Dog, along with a number of existing breeds, helped pioneer the modern use of dogs for service and community work that we can see today. For a breed of dog that has only been officially recognised for just over 100 years, it has made an outstanding contribution to mankind worldwide.

It is often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. In the last 14,000 years, dogs have accompanied man by helping him hunt, guard, and protect. In our modern world, dogs help us combat in war, search-and-rescue, guide the blind, deaf, discapacitated, rehabilitate patients in therapy, aid law enforcement, and are part of our family as beloved pets (Coren). Although canine superstars such as Lassie, Old Yeller, and Rin Tin Tin portray the perfect dog we all want in our lives, these ideals are far from the truth. Many first-time dog owners expect dogs to know behaviors such as how to walk on a leash, not bite, not destroy the house, and in addition to many others. In reality, dogs must be trained on what their handler wants them to do. It is