Assistance Dogs

One could think of it as turning down the volume for my life to zero. That is, until I found the link to my environment and my world -- a chocolate Labrador retriever named Hattie. She is a hearing dog from Dogs for the Deaf, Inc.

Hattie was adopted from a shelter by Dogs for the Deaf and went through eight months of hearing dog training in order to become my ears. Hattie is trained to alert me to the oven timer, doorbell/door knock, microwave, alarm clock, telephone, smoke detector, and someone calling my name.

A 2-year-old lab mix, Amos is Michigan's first court therapy dog, a pooch trained to comfort traumatized and anxious children who are victims or witnesses in cases of domestic and sexual assault

According to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, not only are service animals allowed to accompany their owners in all public places, they also cannot be isolated from other patrons.

Zorro isn't your regular show dog.

The 6-year-old Belgian Malinois has two roles: Show dog Zorro del Mango and just plain Zorro the service dog.

The moment young Nicholas Lapinski walked out the door, his German shepherd, Stitch, stood to follow.

The two were separated for no more than a minute, but Stitch grew exceedingly anxious. Another few seconds apart, and the dog would've begun a frantic search for the boy.

Before Wuest, the assistance dog, became Noah Sheiring’s new best friend, a lot of volunteer hours were put into her development and training.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said today that Napoleon Community Schools is breaking the law by not allowing a 5-year-old student with cerebral palsy to attend school with her mobility assistance dog.

A local school district bans a disabled student from bringing her service dog to school. The five year old girl has Cerebral Palsy, but the Napoleon Community School District said she can't bring her trained service dog to class. Now the family is worried the child's development may be in jeopardy.

Francis said Spirit is Southwestern Ontario’s first recognized mental health assistance dog, trained by a Hamilton-based organization called Encouraging Paws Service Dogs.

According to Francis, Spirit has been taught to read her body language and recognize panic attacks. Wherever Francis goes — including classes and exams — Spirit follows, tethered to Francis’s waist.

I am a board member for Eyes Ears Nose and Paws (http://www.eenp.org), a local assistance dog organization. Through this work, I have learned so much about what animals can do for us and how rewarding this "service" is to both sides.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is defined as any guide dog, signal dog or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. Privately owned businesses that serve the public are prohibited from barring people with disabilities to bring their service dogs onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.

Therapy dogs are used strictly as emotional support dogs to visit with hospital and hospice patients, retirement home residents and reading programs in schools.

We all know the benefits of animal assisted therapy dogs. Taken to the next level, psychiatric service dogs are being incorporated into care plans more and more and the benefits of emotional and mental health service dogs are now being recognized.

When Madison police pepper sprayed and Tasered Stephen Bottila last month after he refused to leave a McDonald's restaurant with his service dog, it was just the latest skirmish in an ongoing battle.

'Ovelle, get your lunch." Ovelle walks to a refrigerator, pulls it open and gets her lunch bag. She gives it to Julia Gambassi, who puts it on a table. "Plates, Ovelle." Ovelle sets the table with paper plates and sits down to wait for her lunch of beans, apples and carrots. Nothing special -- except that Ovelle is a dog.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights, NY has found a use for these gentler-tempered dogs: to help children with autism. Heeling Autism is their pilot program to provide additional training for these gentler dogs to work specifically with autistic children, as well as their families.

Rock'O, Kayla and Alma are at the vanguard of a new wave of service dogs trained to handle things their humans cannot. From alerting owners to an impending seizure to helping people with psychiatric or memory conditions (including Alzheimer's) stay stable and safe, service dogs are helping an ever-broadening array of people live more normal, independent lives, just as they have helped hearing-, seeing- and mobility-impaired people for decades.

However there does seem to be some confusion about the different jobs and services dogs can provide. We see them wearing vests with patches that read "please pet me," "please don't pet me," "working dog," "therapy dog," assistance dog," and even those that say "in training." But what do all those vests and patches mean and what's the difference?

Bobge takes Koda everywhere, including classes at Cuesta College. The dog, a 2-year-old boxer, is more than a pet to Bobge, though his job is an unusual one. Some dogs help the blind. Some dogs help the deaf. Koda's purpose is less obvious: He is an emotional support dog, which is exactly as it sounds.

James McCrackyn entered Chautauqua Elementary School Monday morning much as he has for the past couple of years — except this time, he was tethered to a golden Labrador named Comet. As the slight 7-year-old strode into Geri Wilson's multi-age classroom, the teacher broke into a huge smile.

A woman who was barred from bringing her dog into the Cowlitz County Hall of Justice is suing the county, accusing it of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Melanie Brown of Ryderwood says her dog Odessa is a service dog because she uses it to steady herself.