Seeing a dog walking down the street, I'm immediately the stranger that must point out that there is certainly a dog within sight. I am in love with dogs, and just want to pet and hold each and every one of them. However, I understand that this is not the case for service dogs, and I am respectful enough to give the dog space for it to do its job. Many people are clueless about the different types of service dogs, and often make these mistakes simply from misinformation.
Sight guide dogs, or seeing-eye dogs, are probably the most popular service dogs. These special guys help the blind navigate through everyday life, weave around obstacles and even lead their owners out of impending danger that may be up ahead. Sight guide dogs have an impeccable sense of hearing to listen to their owner's commands and must remain alert at all times to ensure the safety of their owner.
Seizure detection dogs are the newest type of service dog. These dogs are very sensitive to their surroundings and can detect if their epileptic owner will have a seizure, even an hour in advance. In turn, precautions and safety measures can be made prior to seizure, and ultimately prevent or lessen symptoms of the seizure. Actions taken by a seizure detection dog include leading their owner out of crowded environments, turning on lights, opening doors, alerting their owner's caretaker, bringing their owner medication, a phone, or medical device and much more.
Mental health dogs are prepared to not only comfort their owners during episodes, panic attacks or periods of depression and anxiety, but also perform other duties such as fetching their owner's medications, caretaker or phone. They can also move away dangerous objects around their owner to prevent self-harm and can steady their owner during hallucinations.
Fire rescue dogs, a staple in American history, are specially trained to work with firefighters to put out fires, spray hoses, fetch objects for firefighters, locate fire victims and bring fire victims to safety. This type of service dog was popularized by the dalmatian, although it is a less common sight in this day and age.
Service dogs for the deaf react to different sounds in the surrounding environment and alert their owners if there is imposing threat or concern. These pups must remain alert at all times, and are their owner's "ears," essentially.
Bomb detection dogs are used to sniff out areas and rooms possibly hidden with explosives. These dogs must have a keen sense of smell among all else, and must be familiarized with the many scents of different types of bombs and explosives.
Therapy dogs are specially trained to comfort people who are ill or experiencing loss. These dogs are different from mental health dogs in the sense that they are specialized to mainly comfort people rather than act upon a situation. Therapy dogs are calm, friendly and are likely to cheer anyone up.
Police dogs, or K9's, are serviced to the police to protect their owners, sniff out and locate drugs, search for victims, search for and investigate crime scene evidence and much more. These dogs must be fearless and vigilant.
Allergy detection dogs are dogs that use their highly sensitive sense of smell to search rooms and areas for their owner's allergens that can be life threatening if they come into contact. For example, if someone is deathly allergic to even touching a peanut, allergy detection dogs will first examine and sniff out the room specifically for peanut traces to alert their owner whether entering the room is safe or hazardous.
PTSD therapy dogs are specialized to care for owners that experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in numerous ways. These include pulling their owner from a flashback, searching a room or area for anything that may trigger their owner and generally comfort their owner in hopes of allowing their owner to function within their daily lives.
Mobility dogs are best friends for people that have mobility issues, such as being confined to a wheelchair. These dogs help their owners perform basic functions such as opening doors, turning on light switches, reaching a container and putting away dishes; often actions that those with mobility issues struggle with due to the lack of ability to reach.
Diabetic detection dogs are somewhat scientifically knowledgeable. These canines sniff the air and can detect a drop in blood sugar levels from their owner's breath. In doing so, their owners will be alerted if they need to inject insulin or eat sugary foods and therefore prevent symptoms associated with diabetes from occurring or lessen the effects.
Autism therapy dogs are specifically trained to comfort and care for those within the autism spectrum. These dogs provide a connection with their owner that the owner may not be able to achieve with other humans, help their owners gain confidence in their actions and doings and overall comfort their owners whenever needed.
Search and rescue dogs are highly-trained pooches that team up with law enforcement agencies, fire departments and rescue organizations to search for missing people in the community. They search and rescue all types of people in varying situations, such as people trapped in a coal mine, follow Alzheimer's patients missing from nursing homes, locate climbers trapped on mountainsides and much more.
Service dogs are of service to their owners and law enforcement, and are not domesticated dogs for the purpose of love and affection from anyone else. Please do not go and pet a service dog unless the owner first allows you to. You can detect these dogs by their harnesses that will spell out the type of service dog they are. These dogs have jobs just like us, work extremely hard and demand your respect as well. Let's thank and cherish all service dogs for the tireless commitment, thriving determination and endless love.
