Service Dogs

Service Dogs

Notably, human beings have had to find different ways in which to navigate through issues that affect them.

A perfect example is the use of service, which has become quite prevalent in most developed countries such as the US. Therefore they have deployed the use of service dogs. A service dog can be described as a helping dog that is trained explicitly for those who are disabled. With most people being disabled, there is a need to help them live a healthy life, and that is where the use of service dogs gets deployed. Service dogs in the US are highly used, and statistics claim that they are highly valued companions and also working partners of about 80 million citizens of America (O’Haire 179). Therefore they play a significant role in the lifestyle of most of the individuals in the country. Most of the common breeds which are used as service dogs in America are Golden Retrievers, German shepherd, and Labs. And this is because they can learn quickly and therefore perform their tasks. Training the dogs is not an easy task though they have a high learning capacity.

Additionally, service dogs are quite integral to the lives of American citizens, especially those who suffer from disability issues. They subjected to different commands which they follow in a variety of capacities. They also act as very faithful companions to human beings as most people like them and, therefore, cannot feel lonely in their presence (Kegel 78). Over the last few years, there has been an insurgence in the number of service dog owners. People consider dog ownership as an essential thing and therefore feel that they should have them as companions or even partners in work. Service dogs being quite intelligent are highly valued and therefore need to be taken care of at all times. They offer great companion hence making sure their owner does not feel lonely.

Besides, service dogs have become very common. And this has been mainly attributed to the fact that most of the people across the world have had an increasing liking for the dogs. They have also proved to be quite helpful to most people, especially those with disabilities (Mills 650). They have assisted them with the tasks that they cannot carry out, thus proving to be quite crucial in the process. Most people values service because of their unique characteristics as they have general features of helping others achieve all the essential issue which have proved to be a great menace due to the selfish deeds of fellow human beings. It is hard for most people to help others as they feel that it is not their responsibility. However, the service dogs do not discriminate and any issue and consider all factors to be crucial, therefore proving to be helpful to those who are quite vulnerable in society.

On the other hand, even though service dogs have become very common, there are still issues that are affecting them. First and foremost, there has been an issue because of dog training (Vincent et al. 56). Service dogs need to be highly trained, and most people have a problem understanding their training. It is quite expensive, but most people still understand the necessity of why they trained, but there are very few trainers. Service dog training has created a great debate on how to understand their training. If they are trained well, they will be able to perform their functions well to the maximum. And this will, therefore, ensure that people with disabilities can fulfill all their tasks in a good way (Mills 640). And this will ensure that the dogs are not affected by environmental issues, thus carrying out their functions in the right way.

Secondly, people have a problem understanding the working functions of service dogs. It is hard to fully integrate the working of the service dogs. And this has been mainly attributed to the way that these dogs carry out functions that were previously believed to be only for human beings (O’Haire 179). However, the service has portrayed that they can do their tasks even in a better way than human beings. And this is because they can correctly do their activities. According to most people who face disability challenges, they have claimed that they do not feel any difference between human beings and dogs. They have even mentioned that they think that the dogs are better as they do not expect anything in return. And this has been quite crucial as they have had all their activities well done without any issue. Therefore people need to understand the functions of service dogs so that they can know what to expect from them.

Thirdly, service dogs have a problem with accessing public facilities (Schoenfeld-Tacher et al. 56). Most of the public facilities have prohibited animals such as dogs; therefore, it has become hard for the disabled to gain access to them using these modern helpers. Consequently, a perfect way must be established on how they can be identified. And this is because they are supposed to help the disabled in all places where they feel like going. The disabled need a lot of help for them to survive. Hence, this should be taken into significant consideration while arriving at any conclusion on service dogs.

Moreover, a service dog is highly trained to assist individuals with a disability to carry out their activities. The dog is modified in such a way that it can only perform the functions that it is trained to do. A good example is some dogs help the blind and those that have a visual impairment. These dogs act as guide dogs. There are also hearing dogs that help the deaf or those with hearing issues. The other type of service dog is those that support the disabled move around using wheelchairs and walking devices (Yarborough et al. 118). They are popularly referred to as mobility dogs. The other type is medical alert dogs, and this is trained to detect an issue in the health system of a person. They can be able to identify issues such as seizures before they occur, low or high blood sugars, presence of allergens, and other issues within the system. Lastly, there are psychiatric dogs, and this service dog helps people with various disorders such as obsessive-compulsive, schizophrenia, and posttraumatic stress disorder. All these service dogs are excellent in their work and therefore play a critical role in the lives of the disabled. They even remind them to take their medication on time.

Primarily, these dogs have not been considered as pets as they have a significant role to play other than providing companionship for the disabled. According to most experts, they claim that the dogs should be considered as working animals just like human beings. Therefore they should be given enough credit for their role due to the enormous impact which they have on the lives of the people. These dogs vary in size as they have small and big dogs. The size of the dog defines the tasks which it can be able to execute. A perfect example is that it is only a big dog that can be able to pull a wheelchair due to its strength. However, it may not have excellent hearing capability.

Therefore, there are specific breeds such as Bernese Mountain Dogs, Great Danes, and Saint Bernards, which have both the height and also strength, which is crucial in helping the disabled with issues of mobility. Another breed like the Toy Poodle Puppy has a scent. Therefore, it can be trained at assisting in alerting sugar levels while the larger Standard Poodle Puppy can easily understand how to activate a light switch or carry some objects. The German Shepherd, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador Retrievers mainly act as guide dogs( Kegel 67). Therefore different breeds have a different role which they are trained to focus on according to their strengths and weaknesses.

However, regardless of the dog’s breed, they should be given the best service as they should be trained on how to focus on the person they are handling, how to avoid distractions and to be highly reliable while dealing with their tasks (Schoenfeld-Tacher et al. 345). And also to be highly responsive at all times to the person that they are handling. And this is the only way that they can ensure that they can help in the best way. The disabled, if they are not helped, is quite vulnerable and can face quite a lot of challenges; therefore, they need the best help.

All in all, service dogs have become a solution to the disabled. Most of the people have embraced the use of service. However, they are costly to acquire and maintain. And this is because of their training and the care that they are supposed to be given. It is hard to differentiate a service dog from any other typical dog even though, in most cases, this is only possible after viewing the different tasks that the dog can do. Human beings have become capitalists highly, and helping one another has proved to be a considerable challenge. Therefore the dogs have proved to be quite crucial in whatever they do, and hence their role as been hailed as outstanding. People with disabilities need to lead a stress-free life and normal life. However, the service must be given the best treatment, and their health checked to ensure that they do not have any problem carrying out their functions. It is quite clear that most people in different parts of the world, especially in third world countries, have not fully understood the use of service dogs. However, in industrialized countries, they have proved to be extremely important.