Now, Service Dogs To Ease Disabled Living!

Pet Care

oi-Staff

Thursday, January 7, 2010, 16:06

Service dogs can help increase safety and independence for people with disabilities or illness in several ways. Breeds such as Labrador or Golden retrievers can be trained in many specialties. The specialities may include various aspects as mentioned below:

Skilled assistance dogs -- These dogs are trained to help those who are physically disabled. They can open doors, pull wheelchairs, turn on lights, retrieve the telephone or summon help.

Hearing dogs -- These dogs alert their handlers to alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke alarms, approaching vehicles or someone calling the handler"s name.

Diabetes response dogs -- These dogs carry objects such as juice bottles and can retrieve a phone or sniff the handler"s breath for low blood sugar.

Alzheimer"s helper dogs -- These dogs are trained to stay with a person who has Alzheimer"s -- or fetch help -- if the person starts to wander or gets into an unsafe situation.

Parkinson"s disease helper dogs -- These dogs can assist with balance.

Psychiatric service dogs -- These dogs help people who are disabled by severe mental illness by calming anxieties, prodding their handler to take medications and interrupting harmful compulsions.