There are so many amazing and wonderful ways that dogs can help humans.
We are going to learn the differences between some helpful pups!
Service Dog
Service dogs are individually trained to perform specific tasks and
to work with people with disabilities.The task(s) performed by the
dog must be directly related to the person's disability. A service
animal falls under a "resonable modification" to policies when
accomodating a person with disabilites, and is therefore allowed in
those public spaces that other animals are prohibited.
Common service dogs include a mobility dog that work with a person
in a wheel chair or a guide dog for a blind person. You can also
have dogs trained for diabetic alert, siezure alert, or to help with
PTSD.
Canine Comapnaions for Independence (CCI) is a nation wide organization that trains many types of service dogs that applied for by someoenn in need. They have an amazing matching process to create perfect partnerships.
Therapy Dog
These are dogs that — with their human teammate (often the dog’s owner) — volunteer in clinical settings, such as hospitals, mental health institutions, hospices, schools, and nursing homes, where they provide comfort, affection, and even love in the course of their work. While these dogs do not perform a specific action, they have to be trained to deal with meeting many strangers and being touched by posisbly multiple people at once. As well as visiting different environments with many new sights, sounds, and smells.
Working Dog
A working dog is a purpose-trained canine that learns and performs
tasks to assist its human companion/handler. When they are on the
job working dogs should not be approached or petted, as doing their
job properly requires a high level of focus without distractions.
Police and military canines that work to apprehend criminals or
search for drugs and explosives are what most people think of.
Search and rescue dogs that are called in after disaters to look for
survivors, also make up a large percentage. You can also have dogs
trained to dectect things like bed bugs or even cancer cells!
PennVet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) trains a wide variety of working dogs that can be purchased to go their job!
Emotional Support Dog
They’re considered companion animals and ease anxiety, depression,
some phobias, and loneliness. They are not trained for any specific
task. In order to be considered an emotional support dog, it must be
prescribed by a mental health professional for a patient with a
diagnosed psychological or emotional disorder, such as anxiety
disorder, major depression, or panic attacks.
Because they often don't have any formal training they can be
problematic when people try to take them into public places, since
they are not experinced with dealing with many stimuli at once.
