Let's Talk About Service Dogs

Some of you may already know that I love dogs.  My own dogs were both rescue dogs from local SPCAs, but I have friends whose dogs are truly special.  They are trained and working service dogs.

When I was younger I thought all service dogs worked as eyes for the blind, but in the past few years I've become enlightened and so impressed by all the different types of service dogs.  They do so much for us...just for the price of food, water, shelter, and a little love.  That is a bargain that we humans truly do not deserve.  

If you ask me, dogs are nothing but angels in fur coats.  It is hard for me to believe that anything that good can be of this world.

But I digress...

Today's post is to tell you about some of the different types of service dogs and what they do, so here goes:

1. Guide Dogs
   These are the dogs who guide the blind and near blind.  They help them cross streets and avoid obstacles in their path.  These are the first dogs I think about when I hear the words "service dog."
2. Hearing Dogs
   These service dogs help those who are deaf.  They alert them when the phone is ringing or someone is at the door or when the baby is crying.
3. Diabetic Alert Dogs
   My friend, Tanya, has a Diabetic Alert Dog for her little girl who has Type 1 Diabetes.  Her Diabetic Service Dog has an alert for when Tanya's daughter's blood glucose is going too high and another alert for when her blood glucose is going too low.  Just amazing, as well as live-saving!
4. Seizure Alert Dogs
   These service dogs are for people who have epilepsy.  They alert when their human is about to have a seizure.  This gives the human time to go to a quiet place before that happens.
5. Mental Health and Emotional Support Dogs
   These are the service dogs who help veterans who have PTSD, and many other people with problems that can limit their interactions with others.  These service animals help give their humans the support and confidence they need to function in society.
6. Mobility Assistant Dogs
   These dogs help physically handicapped people with their daily tasks.  They are trained to turn on lights, retrieve objects, help pull wheelchairs up ramps and many other helpful things.
7. Allergy Alert Dogs
   These alert service dogs let their human know if there is a life-threatening allergen in the immediate area.  For instance, if the dog's human is severely allergic to peanuts, the dog will alert when it smells peanuts nearby.
8. Autism Support Dogs
   This type of service dog helps a person with autism to remain calm and focused.

There are also Therapy Dogs and Working Dogs, as well as pets, of course, but those are blogs for another day.