Labradoodles Make Superb Assistance Dogs

Assistance Dog Information

Many people have seen Guide dogs in their daily lives, guiding their handlers expertly around obstacles and across streets. There are, however, dogs that help someone who is deaf, in a wheelchair, using crutches, and for many other disabilities.
The main types of Assistance Dogs (called Service Dogs in the Americans with Disabilities Act and many laws), are:
Guide Dogs:
Probably the most familiar type of service dog is the guide dog that is trained to help blind or visually impaired people. These dogs serve as the eyes for their owner, navigating them through traffic, stairs and sidewalks while avoiding all obstacles that could cause injury.
Hearing Dogs:
Similar to guide dogs, "hearing" or "signal" dogs are specially trained to assist deaf people. They alert their owner to sounds, usually by approaching their owner and then by going back to the source of the sound. They signal such noises as doorbells, phones, smoke alarms, crying babies, microwave bells and even tea kettles whistling. These dogs have the same access privileges as guide dogs and are permitted in all public and private facilities.
Service Dogs:
Service Dog is the catch all term for any dog that helps a physically or mentally disabled person. You have the following catagories:
Mobility Assist Dog: Pulls a person's wheelchair, carries things in a backpack, picks up things a person drops, opens/closes doors, helps the handler get dressed or undressed.
Walker Dog: Helps the handler walk by balancing or acting as a counter balance. Does many of the tasks that the Mobility Assist Dog does.
Seizure Alert/Response Dog: This dog is trained to respond to a person's seizures and either stay with the person, or go get help. Some dogs are trained to hit a button on a console to automatically dial 911. When the dog hears the voice over the speaker, the dog starts barking. The disabled person would have arranged that the system is dog activated.
Psychiatric Service Dog: A person with a mental disability may need a dog to be able to go out in public (agraphobic), or may be autistic and need the dog to keep them focused. These dogs are trained NEVER to leave their handler's side. For more information on tasks that a dog can do, go to the IAADP PSD Info page.
SsigDog: A dog trained to assist a person with autism. The dog alerts the partner to distracting repetitive movements common among those with autism, allowing the person to stop the movement (e.g., hand flapping). A person with autism may have problems with sensory input and need the same support services from a dog that a dog might give to a person who is blind or deaf.
Combo Dog: Some programs, Paws With A Cause, for example, have started training dogs for people with multiple disabilities, like a guide/mobility assist dog.
Also, "service animal" is the legal terms for ANY animal that assists someone who is disabled, therefore, a guide dog is also a service dog/animal.
Like guide and hearing dogs, service dogs of any type, are allowed in public when accompanying their disabled handler.
This list is not the ONLY things that dogs can be taught to do.
Laws Covering Assistance Dogs
There are laws that cover the right of a disabled person to be accompanied by an Assistance (or Service) dog. Please check out the Law page for information on the American's With Disabilities Act, and the State laws that cover this topic. With the exception of Washington State (which the full law is on this site), the other states are listed on one page with links to the state websites.

What to do when you meet an Assistance Dog
The role of the Assistance Dog is to assist the handler in a variety of ways. It is primarily a medical assistance aid and should be treated as such.
1. Do not pet, make noises, or call to the Assistance Dog.
If the dog is wearing its harness/vest/backpacks, this means it is working and should never be patted, or distracted by having its name called, be given excessive eye contact, noises made at it, or made the center of attention. These may all cause the dog to take its concentration off the job and put the handler’s safety at risk.
2. Do not feed the dog.
The Assistance Dog is fed a balanced diet by its handler. Other people should never feed the Assistance Dog. It may then learn to be on the lookout for tidbits, which will distract the dog and place the handler’s safety at risk. It may also lead to obesity and health problems, possibly causing the dog’s working life to be shortened.
When wanting to pat the Assistance Dog that is not working, always ask the handler first for permission. If the handler agrees, always talk or pat the dog in a quiet and calm manner.
3. Talk to the handler, and not to the dog!
Remember to talk to the Assistance Dog handler and not only to the dog. It is very frustrating for the Assistance Dog handler when people constantly talk to the dog and not to the handler.
The Assistance Dog handler has been trained in the most appropriate techniques for working or correcting the dog. Please only provide assistance if requested by the Assistance Dog handler.
If there are any further queries regarding how to behave towards a Assistance dog please do not hesitate to discuss it with the Assistance dog handler.
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What a business can and can not ask an A-Dog Team
When an Assistance Dog team enters a business, a business owner may ask the following questions if unsure the team is an Assistance Dog team.
1) Are you disabled?
You MAY NOT ask what a person's particular disability is. Many disabilities are invisible, and the person doesn't look disabled, or use any device (other than the dog), to indicate the person is disabled.
2) Is that an Assistance Dog? or Is that a Service Dog?
These questions are the ONLY questions you may ask a person entering a business with an Assistance Dog. Note, both answers MUST be yes, because a dog is NOT considered an Assistance Dog if they are with a non-disabled person.
Please be aware, however, that a disabled person is allowed to have someone bring their dog to them as a reasonable accomodation. For example, if the disabled person is in the hospital, and has a friend bring their dog to visit them, or bring the dog to them to stay in the hospital once they are able to care for the animal, OR the disabled person has enlisted the help of friends to care for the dog so that the dog may stay in the hospital with them.
The Department of Justice has released a document detailing common questions asked by businesses.
How to get an Assistance Dog?
There are many programs out there that train dogs - either bred specifically by the program, or donated by breeders, or taken from animal shelters. The programs all require that an application be filled out, placing the person on a waiting list (which can be anywhere from 6 months for a guide dog to 6 years for a Service Dog), and then once you are notified that you have been selected, you go to the program facility, and spend anywhere from 2 weeks to a month training with your dog.
The cost of a program provided dog can range from $100 to several thousand dollars depending on the program.
There is an alternative to waiting years to get an Assistance Dog, and that is to train your own. Please click here to see the advantages and disadvantages of training your own dog, as well as some places that will help you.
There is an organization for those partnered with Assistance Dogs. They produce a quarterly newsletter, with informative articles, hints, and help regarding the laws that govern our rights to be partnered with an A-Dog. Please check out the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) web site.
Assistance Dogs International is an an umbrella organization for programs that provide Guide, Hearing and Service Dogs. They have strict qualifications for membership programs to follow, and they have a public access test that is VERY good, and I highly recommend that if you have an Assistance Dog, that you and your dog be able to pass this test. You do not have to go to an ADI member organization to get this test. Take it informally, and if you and your dog don't pass, you know what you need to work on.

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Check out some wonderful therapy dogs born at Rutland Manor Labradoodles

Programs that provide service dogs

Many great links on the Dogs With Jobs website

Labradoodle Service Dog Discussion

International Assn. of Assistance Dog Partners

Therapy Dog Links

Hawaii Fi-Do Service Dogs

Thanks to Paradise Labradoodles for most of the above links

Bridgehaven Hospital uses therapy dogs!

AUTISM LINKS

One resource would be Paws with A Cause, located in the Grand Rapids area. They train dogs nationally, to assist people with disabilities and they provide lifetime team support. You can call them at: 800-253-PAWS (7297) or 616-877-7297. In addition, you can contact Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that provides trained service dogs and to professional caregivers that provides pet-assisted therapy. Their number is: 800-572-2275 and Tender Loving Canines, an organization that provides service dogs that are custom-trained, for people with disabilities. Their number is: 760-736-4852. Although they are located in ‘California, they may place dogs in other parts of the country. Service dogs are sometimes used with people on the autism spectrum, to help them pick up social cues and to keep them from running away. They can act as a “bridge” between the child with autism and the outside world, helping them to be more comfortable with the environment.:-) For more information, you can visit www.autism.about.com/cs/serviceanimals/1/blsvcsdog.htm.

http://www.autismservicedogsofamerica.com/

http://www.4pawsforability.org/program.htm

http://www.psychdog.org/lifestyle_LetterTemplate.html

http://www.freedomservicedogs.org/events/barktoberfest_04.htm

http://www.deltasociety.org/dsb7nj.htm

http://www.maapservices.org/index.html

http://www.champdogs.org/FAQ/FAQ_Answers.htm

http://www.apdt.com/trainers-and-owners/trainer-search/trainer-search-run.php

http://groups.msn.com/ServiceDogsandAutism/general.msnw

http://www.allpurposecanines.com/autismprogram.html

http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/getadog.html

Thanks, Kathy, for these valuable resources