Finding the Way with Service Animals
Johnny had never smiled in his entire four years of life, until July, 2015. He received a life changing gift, a service dog trained as a companion to children with autism. His family had researched and tried many ways to help him have an easier and more interactive life but to no avail until he got his service dog. Improving life emotionally, physically and/or socially is the overall goal of people and/or families with service animals.
There has been a long history with animals and their natural bonds with humans for many decades now. Dogs have helped people with a multitude of illnesses for some time now, however Americans were not the first to discover this natural trait in animals. The Germans during World War 1 were the first to discover this. In the book, History of Guide Dog Use by Veterans it states that the German army in particular “relied heavily on the use of German shepherds as ambulance and messenger dogs. The Germans reportedly used more than 25,000 dogs during World War I. ' these dogs were ideally suited for this type of work, with ell-known traits such as trainability, loyalty, intelligence, strength, and endurance” (Ostermeier 587). In today 's society, we have numerous people who are unaware of the services that animals can provide for humans. Specifically humans with mental or physical disabilities. In this paper I will present various types of service animals as well as the many services they provide.
ANIMALS AND
This has led to the belief that dogs can provide company, affection and support to people who are going through a difficult time or who feel lonely. Dogs have aided humans in tasks such as hunting, livestock herding, and guarding. However, as society moved from small rural communities to increasingly large metropolitan areas, the dog’s role changed. Throughout the years a more specific type of
In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.
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
Author Anthony Douglas Williams once said, “We have more to learn from animals than animals have to learn from us,” (A-Z Quotes), but what most people fail to assimilate is that animals have given humans erudition on many subjects. Throughout history, animals have helped with advancements in science, contributing to new ideas to keep people safe and healthy. Moreover, they continue to help humankind every second of the day, and will continue to do so as science and technology evolve.
“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!
In her book Reporting For Duty: True Stories of Wounded Veterans and Their Service Dogs, she shares the stories of veterans who use a service dog to help cope with different disabilities. Libby also covers topics such as the history and use of various types of service dogs at military facilities and the organizations and processes that help to produce a service dog for the veterans that need them. The cost of training a service dog can range from $8,000 to $70,000 depending on the training required and whether it comes from a shelter or breeding program (172). According to Libby, “the average cost of a guide dog, for example, runs about $60,000, whereas training for a therapy dog averages about 10,000” (189). While training a service dog can be expensive, several organizations supply service dogs to veterans at no cost through individual donations, fundraising, and other similar methods (174). The book uses pictures of dogs performing various jobs on almost every page and is well organized and detailed. This will be helpful for my essay because it covers how what factors determine costs for trained service dogs, who pays those costs, and the history of changes that have occurred in the military with service
It is misunderstood that service dogs are only for the blind but this is not true. Service dogs assist people with many types of disabilities. According to Dr. Demling, Certified Behaviorist at Pet Wellness Academy, dogs also provide “Unconditional love. A 100% acceptance without judgment when a person is depressed, anxious, lonely, wearing the same clothes as yesterday and can’t get out of bed helps people feel like they have a true friend during their difficulties.” (qtd. In Bennett). There are service dogs for the blind, deaf, people with anxiety, depression, people who have seizures and people with autism. Service dogs make their owner’s lives happier by helping them overcome their disabilities and
Some disabled people feel very disconnected from normal people, but a service dog helps them overcome that, and also become more independent. “Service dogs seem to positively influence socialization and community participation in a variety of environments. Two studies observed partnerships in natural environments (Eddy et al., 1988; Mader et al., 1989) and reported that community members smiled and conversed with children and adults with service dogs more than children and adults without service dogs, and community members did not avoid the person with a disability as much when a service dog was present” (Winkle, Crowe, and Hendrix 57). Service dogs allow disabled people to do more things on their own, with the help of the dog, and feel like they do not have to rely on other people to help them as much. In addition, when a disabled person has a service dog, they have a companion that is by their side throughout the day, boosting their confidence. Presnall writes: “Jennifer had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of sixteen… ‘I felt kind of repulsive and unlovable in that wheelchair,’ [Jennifer] says. ‘But I knew a service dog would look at me and just think I was cool’ ” (8). More evidence of this is proven with the bond between David, a man who had both of his legs amputated above his knees, and his dog Inca. “Inca’s arrival has made a huge difference to David’s life, both emotionally and physically” (Bidder 48). Thus, service dogs impact their
Among guiding the blind, service dogs also assist people with a range of physical disabilities, as well as mental. Suffers of PTSD have seen great improvement, and service dogs have also made a mark on sufferers of mental illnesses such as Asperger's Syndrome, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Autism. Among many tasks, one is innate, comforting. Service dogs can be trained to use their natural instinct to protect and love their “pack” members in a more focused way. These dogs alert their owners and others to their owners attacks and prevent self-harm as well as providing either a distraction or comfort. This comfort comes from the chemical oxytocin, which is released when we look into our dog’s eyes or pet
As a war veteran from two tours, Captain Montalvan suffered from significant PTSD as well as physical problems. Before he received Tuesday from the service dog training facility, ECAD, Captain Montalvan rarely went anywhere outside his New York City apartment or socialized. When he got Tuesday, the service dog was able to act as a barrier for the physically and mentally disabled soldier. Tuesday gave him the confidence to face to bustling subway and crowded sidewalks with only minor issues and eventually graduate from Columbia University. Like Captain Montalvan and Tuesday, service dogs do not erase all of their handler’s issues and handicaps, however, they significantly improve their quality of life.
In the past several years, I have developed a keen interest in Service dogs and helping those who need them. A Service dog is an animal that is protected by the ADA, FDA, and ACAA, and they are considered medical equipment for those people. A dog is considered a Service animal if their handler has a disability that impacts their daily life severely, and the dog would be able to do tasks to mitigate the symptoms of the disability. However, unlike some other countries, people do not need a doctor's note to train and bring a service animal with them in public. Besides the common seeing eye dog, there are other disabilities animals can help people with, like depression, PTSD, anxiety, diabetes, and epilepsy.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, or depression, amongst many other disabilities deserve to be acknowledged because of the medical advancements in the past several years which support the effectiveness of service animals. These disabilities affect the everyday lives of thousands of people throughout the United States, which is why I believe that service animals can be a beneficial component that may boost a person’s endurance. In the article, Service Dog Training Program for Treatment of PTSD in Service Members, a study written with the United States Army, results concluded that service animals were deemed effective in their practices. The article reports that veterans and service members had an “increase in patience, impulse control, [and] emotional regulation” (Yount, et al.). As a helpful practice for disabled persons, it is a civil injustice to discriminate against a person with a service dog. To neglect a disabled person’s accessibility to basic public services in modern society is a violation of human rights. I think that the lack of accommodations for service animals and their handlers is an overlooked issue in society, which is why I believe that my research is a relevant issue in modern
The cooperation of humans and animals goes all the way back 9,000 years ago in the Stone Age, with the first domesticated animal being a goat. However, It wasn’t considered a guide animal .The first service animal was a dog, this evidenced by historians investigating the Middle Ages. Historians discovered woodcuts depicting dogs guiding the visually impaired. Consequently, the first guide dog was established in the Middle Ages, the modern guide dogs we now know today were trained after WW1 for the soldiers who suffered from disabilities from participating in the war, such as visual impaired or experiencing trauma. In 1929, a dog named “Buddy” was the guide of Frank Morris and was the first Seeing Eye dog. The Seeing Eye is the oldest guide
In today’s society, service dogs are very critical for current U.S soldiers and veterans that deal with PTSD and stress disorder especially saving lives within the Military field. Service dogs are not being noticed by individuals in a world that is full of technological influence because there are so many other little things to preoccupy their time. The service of these particular dogs offer are very beneficial especially to soldier that have PSTD and also reducing stress. Carl Ringberg, a current Missouri army veteran, Luthy, Air Force veteran, and Brett Simon, a current army solider had benefited from a service dog. These particular Individuals found positive results while having a service dog by their side and this service dogs completely
The authors, concerns in the report is the well-being and what the animals are excepted to do. Their purpose is to explore the unitization of service dogs in rehabilitation and precisely the ethical issues that pertinent to a service dog. The authors emphases on the primary ethical issues with service animals which are the tension between them to achieve the handlers goal example, keeping owners safe as their eyes and ears. Further, Wenthold and Savage made a statement that dogs’ temperament and response to situation belied the dog’s choice. I will use the point in my project to defend the reason why dogs sometimes bark in public places. The authors produce an important argument about who represent and advocate for service animal’s (dog) interest;