Service dogs .. 9 types trained to help patients with autism and the disabled

Sarah Jamal

The dog is known for its loyalty to its owner until it has become the best friend of some, as dogs represent the "life-collar" for a large number of individuals with special needs, whether physical, nervous or mental, and are called service dogs, which are invaluable friends to help a person according to his need.

Studies have shown that these dogs provide health benefits, according to the American (AKC) website, and can increase physical fitness, lower stress, and improve mood, as well as training to perform specific tasks for individuals with disabilities.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is "a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with special needs" and they are considered working animals rather than pets.

Types of service dogs

There are 9 types of service dogs, according to the website (Dogster):

1- Guide dogs : Help dogs that help the visually impaired and blind people are one of the most common types of dogs. The most famous breeds of dogs that are used as guide dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Lap Hybrids, and also Poodle's Chains.

According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the beginnings of using dogs to guide people with vision impairment date back to Roman times.

2. Hearing dogs : It helps people with hearing impairment by alerting to surrounding noise such as alarms, door bells or children crying, and when the dog hears the sound, he touches his owner and pulls him to the source of noise.

3. Warning dogs for diabetics : This type can provide independence and safety for its owner through alerting to chemical changes in blood sugar, which these dogs can distinguish their smell, which of course cannot be distinguished by the human nose.

Service dogs alert patients to high or low sugar levels, for a person to test sugar and take appropriate treatment before facing a dangerous level of sugar in the blood.

4. Dogs for Mobility : These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with mobility problems. According to the Service Dogs Association of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring things to people, press the buttons on the automatic doors, and they can also pull a wheelchair up a slope, which helps their owners increase their independence and confidence in themselves.

People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and arthritis are among the categories that benefit from dog mobility services.

5- Psychological service dogs : These types of service dogs help people who suffer from problems such as depression, anxiety and what is known as (post-traumatic stress disorder), which occurs to people as a result of their involvement in warfare operations, or their exposure to abuse, or after natural disasters, and others Some events that may change course of life, such as car accidents

This category can feel an excessive alertness about their safety, so service dogs provide support to provide a sense of safety for their owners by doing things like entering the house before them, and turning on lights using the foot pedal. These dogs can also help people with post-traumatic stress disorder and who feel very confused in public places by creating a barrier between the person and others, which gives him more personal space.

6. Early warning dogs for epileptic seizures: It is one of the controversial types among scientists. These limited dogs interact with the owner and alert him before suffering from an epileptic seizure. They say that there is no confirmed evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.

On the other hand, many patients, families, and trainers insist that their dogs accurately forecast and warn of possible seizures, and dog stories that wake up without training have received much attention from the media.

7. Dogs for epileptic seizures: This type differs from the previous one, as these dogs provide assistance to the person in the event of an epileptic seizure. You bark to get help or to press the alarm system during the owner's shift, and they can also remove a person from an unsafe place, and the medicine or phone may come to someone recovering from a seizure.

8. Support dogs for autistic patients: This type of dog helps children with autism by reducing their isolation and providing them with comfort in difficult times, and dogs can provide great help to children who have trouble communicating with their classmates. These dogs are also trained to prevent children from escaping and can track them if they escape.

9. Allergy detection dogs: With the increase in food allergy, another type of medical service dog emerged, where they are trained to alert people to the smell of substances that cause an allergy to a person such as peanuts or gluten. This type of dog also helps children with the smells of allergens or foods.

Although some service dogs may wear vests, special kits or collars, ADA does not require service dogs to wear vests or show identification. On the contrary, many dogs that wear jackets are not actual service dogs.

Service dogs and emotional support

To distinguish between psychological service dogs and emotional support animals, according to the US Department of Justice, the Department of Civil Rights, and the Division for the Rights of Persons with Special Needs. "If a dog is trained to feel that a anxiety attack is about to occur and take specific action to help avoid or reduce the attack, this is It would qualify as a service animal, and if the mere presence of a dog with its owner provided comfort, it would not be considered a service animal. "