Maybe you’ve seen them on the street, riding public transport or perhaps walking through the local supermarket. You might even have admired them and wondered what exactly they do, and how they’re selected and trained.
Yes, assistance dogs sure stand out in a crowd, but did you know these oh so clever canines come in all shapes and sizes and perform an array of amazing feats?
And they’re just some of the interesting facts about the incredible achievements of assistance dogs and the invaluable work they do to help their handlers in countless different ways.
A proud history
Humans and dogs have worked together for millennia, with dogs long renowned as faithful companions. Along the way, they’ve helped fetch, hunt, guard and have been hugely loyal friends in times good and bad.
They’ve also helped out in highly specific ways, aiding their owners with their sight, hearing or intuition. In fact, history is dotted with references to assistance dogs, including imagery dating back to pre-79AD of what is believed to be a dog guiding a visually impaired man.
But when it comes to assistance dogs becoming widely known, most agree the key turning point was dogs assisting the visually impaired, which became commonplace after WWI.
With thousands of soldiers returning from the Front blinded by poisonous gas, a German doctor had the idea of training dogs to assist.
So began the proud tradition of Guide Dogs, or ‘Seeing eye dogs’ who help the visually impaired navigate the world around them.
What they can detect
Of course it’s not just those with vision impairment who benefit from the services of assistance dogs.
In fact, there are an array of different roles that assistance dogs can fill. For example, hearing dogs alert the hearing impaired to specific sounds, such as a phone ringing or a baby crying.
Mobility dogs provide balance and stability and help pick up or open things.
Seizure alert dogs can recognise the signs that their owner might be about to have an epileptic seizure, while diabetes alert dogs let their owners know when their blood sugar levels are dropping.
Meanwhile, assistance dogs like Raffy can detect it when their carer becomes anxious and help alleviate that anxiety by providing comfort or even fetching medication.
How assistance dogs are picked
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are often the first breeds people think of when they hear the term assistance dog, but the reality is any dog can potentially be trained as an assistance dog.
When it comes to how they’re picked, the most important factor is temperament. An assistance dog must be calm, with an even temperament.
They also need to demonstrate that they are intelligent and readily respond to training. After all, assistance dogs need to consistently respond to commands, recognise potential problems, and take action.
How long does it take to train an assistance dog?
On average, it takes about two years to fully train an assistance dog, with the first year dedicated to learning new skills and the second seeing the dog put those skills to the test.
But saying that, the time involved also depends on the dog, the skills required and their pace of learning.
Assistance dogs and the law
Assistance dogs are allowed into places that your average pet pooch cannot access, with assistance dogs given special rights in most countries.
Under the law, assistance dog owners have the right to take their animals into public places and it's also against the law to discriminate against a person with a disability who is using an assistance dog.
But to be classed an ‘assistance dog’, they must also meet some strict criteria. As the Australian Government explains, “Assistance dogs:
-
are individually trained in obedience
-
can perform tasks that ease disability
-
can pass a public access test (PAT)
Meanwhile, the legal definition of an assistance dog is a dog that is:
-
accredited under a state or territory law, or
-
accredited by an animal training organisation stated in the regulations, or
-
trained to assist a person with a disability to alleviate the effect of the disability and meets standards of hygiene and behaviour that are appropriate for an animal in a public place
Want to know more?
So now you know how they’re chosen and some of the amazing things they do. But if you’re looking to discover more, why not explore the adventures of anxiety assistance dog Raffy?
