Dog Assistance For Disabled

Disability can be of any form like any injury, limitations in activity or any restrictions in taking part. Although you cannot participate fully in everyday responsibilities with full capacity but that doesn’t mean you get discouraged and sit back to be pitied and looked down upon.

Instead of getting 100% dependant on others try doing works like eating, drinking, cleaning, studying, shopping, managing homes and etc on your own.

For such responsibilities, a dog is famous for being a best friend for you giving assistance, company, protection, a source of alarm and a helper. Such dogs are trained for special purpose like to assist people who are living with disability. 

They can help people with vision difficulties to move about and find their way in the world. They can even be trained for people with hearing impairments by indicating when a phone is ringing or when someone is on the door.

Balance dogs assist people to get up and down from chairs or bed, or move about to do various daily activities. These dogs which assist people with disabilities have a right to go anywhere with them. 

One of the most important functions that the dogs perform for their master is they provide constant loyalty.

The bond between humans and dogs is unique. There is a two way love between man and a dog.

People are attached to them and they to humans. Dogs have helped in countless ways and expect little in return.

They have hunted with humans, kept pests and other infectious animals and insects away, been a part of military and police, assisted the disabled, and in short they remained the most loyal companions.

There are five main types of dogs: Assistance, rescue, personal protection, estate guard and sled dog. Let us deal with assistance dogs.

Assistance dogs not only provide assistance to the master, but also greatly enhance their lives with a new sense of energy and independence.

There are three types of assistance dogs:

Hearing dogs are for people with hearingimpairments, by alerting them to various kinds of sounds such as a door knock or doorbell, alarm clock ringing, oven buzzer, telephone ringing, baby crying, smoke alarm, etc.

They are trained to make physical contact and direct their masters towards the sound. They are generally of mixed breed brought from animal shelters. Their sizes vary from small to medium. They are trained by volunteer puppy raisers. And can be identified by an orange collar or leash, or vest.

Guide dogs are for people who are blind and have visual impairments, and assisting them by avoiding any barrier, taking extra care when climbing up or down steps, and safe crossing of traffic.

The harness and U-shaped handle helps communication between the dog and their blind partner. Labrador, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherd dogs and other large breeds are specially and carefully trained for their blind master.

Service dogs are for people with disabilities other than vision or hearing.

The special training is given so that they can be trained to work with people who use wheelchairs, have balance problems; different autism, need seizure alert, and need to be alerted to other medical problems like low blood sugar level, or any psychiatric disabilities.

These trained dogs can help by getting back objects that are out of the reach of person. Golden Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers are used service dogs. They can be identified by a backpack or a harness.

These dogs provide following functions:

• See when people are tired and direct them to rest by gently nudging them toward a chair or wall.
• Help people to get in and up out of chair or bed by bracing them as they get up or down.
• Helps people to move from room to another room inside a house.
• Pick up fallen items from the floor like a telephone or a pen or book etc.
• Pushing buttons in an elevator.
• Opening doors using a device.

• Turning on and off lights.
• Bring telephone when it is ringing.
• Remind the timings for medicine.
• Helping with dressing and undressing.
• Accompanying their owner whilst shopping, etc.
• Acting as a physical support.
• Raising the alarm.
• Operating control buttons.
• Carrying items.
• Loading and unloading the washing machine.
• Barking to indicate that help is needed.
• Finding another person and leading the person to the handle.