Service Dogs Stress Free Travel

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)

There are 3 different types of service dogs people can have: Emotional Support Animals, Therapy Animals, and Service Animals. Emotional Support Animals have one task and that is to provide comfort and support, emotionally, to someone who needs it and has a documented health condition. Therapy Animals are registered through an agency and their purpose is to provide therapeutic value to those who need it. Service animals are trained to perform tasks the owner simply cannot do on their own, guiding blind people, detecting seizures, helping people who have lost legs or arms.

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

According to Florida Statute 413.08-2d, a service dog is, “an animal that is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”

Service dogs also help their children sleep at night by helping reduce the chance of sleepwalking and nightmares. With the dog by the child’s side, the remainder of the family has an opportunity to get adequate sleep.

If your pet is your ESA at the same time, you can choose to fly with your companion in the cabin of an aircraft. Also, in case you intend to stay in a community, which has a no-pet housing policy, your pet cannot be denied admission. However, this doesn't apply to public entities, such as stores and restaurants. In short, your ESA will be treated as a pet. It is wise to understand that Emotional Support Animal (ESA) isn't same as a service dog because these animals don't work and don't have any special training. Only when a physician finds it right, he will then prescribe you an ESA

Not all service dogs are allowed in all public places. This paper explains all the reasons

The guide dog performs functions and tasks for the person that has disabilities and cannot perform for him or herself. A sighting seeing dog is one of the services for who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. The guide dog is not a pet, but not licensed or certified. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include: Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds. Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility

First off, dogs and mini horses should not be the only service animals in public, because they don’t have hands. According to Monkey Helpers Tamra Orr states

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.

The law of only dogs as service animals in public protects other people from getting sick or injured or having to clean up their messes.”service animal laws”.The law is supposed to help people but what about the other animals trained to become service animals?Does it become it pointless to train those other animals?If it is only in public places

Service dogs can help people who can’t see by tapping the person with their paw to alert them that something is happening. This is important so that the person can move even though they may not be able to see. Service dogs help people who are paralyzed move around because they are not able to move around. Service dogs do not just help people who are not able to move or see, they can help people with coping. These dogs are used for people that are depressed that need something to cope with.

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.

Second, there is no guarantee that your dog will be well-behaved at the office. Some dogs bark at the slightest noise, and others chew, whine, or jump up on people. Even pets that are well-behaved at home may become unpredictable around new people or in an unfamiliar enviroment. Not only is