WIn general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a professional trainer.
WAn autism service dog is a service dog trained to assist a person with autism to help them gain independence and the ability to perform activities of daily living similar to anyone else.
WBravehound is a Scottish charity that supports former servicemen, women and their families. They provide training and dogs to support veterans, some of whom have post-traumatic stress, other mental health issues as well as physical injury. BRAVEHOUND dogs are provided with support for both the dog and veteran over the dog’s lifetime. Weekly individual and group training sessions are provided free of charge. Bravehound is funded by the Chancellor using Libor funds The Covenant Trust Fund and public fundraising initiatives
WCanine Companions for Independence is a US-based 501(c)(3) (non-profit) organization that trains and provides assistance dogs. As of 2018, it has placed over 6,000 assistance dogs with recipients at no charge.
WThe Courthouse Dogs Foundation is a non-profit organization that trains professionals involved in the legal system about how courthouse facility dogs that are graduates from assistance dog organizations that are members of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) can assist them in the investigation and prosecution of crimes and other legal proceedings. Based on a practice that developed in Seattle, Washington in 2003, the foundation was founded in 2012 by former prosecuting attorney Ellen O'Neill-Stephens and veterinarian Celeste Walsen. The Courthouse Dogs Foundation is based in Bellevue, Washington.
WA diabetic alert dog is an assistance dog trained to detect high (hyperglycemia) or low (hypoglycemia) levels of blood sugar in humans with diabetes and alert their owners to dangerous changes in blood glucose levels. This allows their owners to take steps to return their blood sugar to normal, such as using glucose tablets, sugar and carbohydrate rich food. The dog can prompt a human to take insulin.
WDogs for Good is a UK-based charity training dogs to help adults and children with physical disabilities and learning disabilities, children with autism and adults with dementia. Until October 2015 it was called Dogs for the Disabled.
WEndal was a male Labrador retriever in Britain whose abilities as a service dog and as an ambassador for service dog charitable work received worldwide news media coverage.
WGlen Art is a Scottish charity helping those from a military background return to civilian life. Their projects and artistic events aim to bring people together and strengthen relationships between ex-service personnel and their communities. Their facility at Erskine provides both dogs and training for veterans and their families.
WGuide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles. Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are red–green color blind and incapable of interpreting street signs. The human does the directing, based on skills acquired through previous mobility training. The handler might be likened to an aircraft's navigator, who must know how to get from one place to another, and the dog is the pilot, who gets them there safely. In several countries guide dogs, along with most service and hearing dogs, are exempt from regulations against the presence of animals in places such as restaurants and public transportation.
WThe Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, known by the working name Guide Dogs, is a British charitable organisation founded in 1934.
WGuiding Eyes for the Blind is one of eleven accredited schools in the U.S. for training guide dogs — dogs trained to lead the blind and visually impaired. It houses a 10-acre (40,000 m2) headquarters, training center and veterinary clinic in Yorktown Heights, New York, and it also operates a canine development center in Patterson, New York and a training site in White Plains, New York.
WA hearing dog is a type of assistance dog specifically selected and trained to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing by alerting their handler to important sounds, such as doorbells, smoke alarms, ringing telephones, or alarm clocks. They may also work outside the home, alerting their handler to sounds such as sirens, forklifts, and a person calling the handler's name.
WHearing Dogs for Deaf People is a UK charity which trains dogs to alert deaf people to a variety of sounds.
WLeader Dogs for the Blind is a guide dog training school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It was founded in 1939 by Lions Club members, Charles Nutting, Don Schuur and S.A. Dodge, as the second guide dog school founded in the United States and has paired over 14,000 dogs with the visually impaired worldwide, making it one of the largest organizations of its kind.
WA medical response dog is a service dog trained to assist an individual who has a medical disability. Typically, they are dogs whose job does not handle primarily epilepsy or psychiatric-based conditions, though some seizure response dogs or psychiatric service dogs may also be referred to as medical response.
WA mobility assistance dog is a service dog trained to assist a physically disabled person who has mobility issues, such as wheelchair dependency or poor balance. Roles include "providing balance and stability" picking up and carrying objects, and (controversially) pulling wheelchairs. A mobility assistance dog can also be trained to open and close doors, and operate light switches, and can "have a major positive impact on the lives of recipients". These dogs usually wear a special vest so that the owner can attach a cane-like handle. This allows the dog to guide the owner and assist with their balance.
WSalty and Roselle were two guide dogs who were with their owners in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. They each guided their owners out of the burning towers before they collapsed, feats which were later recognized when they were awarded the Dickin Medal by the British charity the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. Roselle went on to be posthumously named American Hero Dog of the Year 2011 by American Humane, and has a book written about her.
WThe Seeing Eye, Inc. is a guide dog school located in Morristown, New Jersey, in the United States. Founded in 1929, the Seeing Eye is the oldest, and one of the largest, of guide dog schools in the U.S. The Seeing Eye campus in Morristown includes administrative offices, dormitory residence for students, a veterinary care center, and kennels; there is also a breeding station in Chester, NJ. The Seeing Eye, a founding member of the U.S. Council of Guide Dog Schools and a fully accredited member of the International Guide Dog Federation, is a lead researcher in canine genetics, breeding, disease control, and behavior.
WA seizure response dog (SRD) is a dog demonstrating specific assisting behaviour during or immediately after a person's epileptic seizure or other seizure . When reliably trained such dogs can serve as service dogs for people with epilepsy. Tasks for seizure dogs may include, but are not limited to:Find someone to help Activate an emergency response system Stimulate a person to help them "wake up" after a seizure Use body weight to keep the person in a specific position Act as a brace to help the person up Retrieve a phone or medication Physically remove the patient from an unsafe situation
WService animals are working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals, assist animals, or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's function.
WSully H. W. Bush is a yellow labrador dog employed as a service dog for disabled military veterans in the United States. He served with the former President of the United States George H. W. Bush during the last six months of his life, until the 41st President's death on November 30, 2018. He received international attention for his role during the President's state funeral.