Four-Legged and Furry Helpers

Service Animals Can Assist People With Disabilities in Many Ways

Sep 24, 2008

Most people revel in the happiness and friendship offered by a pet. Some pets, though, offer more than companionship. They offer vital assistance to those who need it.

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government (US Department of Justice).

Seeing eye or guide dogs are the type of service animal with which the public is most familiar. Since the implementation of the ADA in 1990, service animals that assist people with a variety of disabilities have become more common and more often seen in classrooms, in offices and in public.

Dogs are the most common type of service animal. Golden Retrievers or Labradors are the most popular breeds for service animals because of their personalities, intelligence and loyalty. Many different species can be trained as service animals, however. Miniature horses, domestic cats, Capuchin monkeys and, in some instances, pigs have been used to assist the disabled with their needs.

What Does a Service Animal Do?

Service animals can be trained to perform many different tasks that people with a mobility, visual or auditory impairment cannot fulfill themselves. Cats can alert the hearing-impaired to unusual sounds around them and may be able to predict seizures. Miniature horses can be trained to lead the blind, pull a wheelchair or offer support to a Parkinson’s patient. Dogs can be trained to open cupboards and doors, pick up objects that have fallen on the floor, pull wheelchairs – even take laundry out of the dryer. Service monkeys can be taught to open bottles, grasp small objects that have fallen on the floor, wash their owner’s face and microwave food, among other tasks. A bus driver in Florida reports that he frequently transports a visually impaired passenger who travels with a monkey and the monkey deposits the fare into the fare box.

Benefits of Owning A Service Animal

Everyone knows the benefits of pet (especially dog) ownership. Dogs and cats can help reduce blood pressure by helping relieve stress, improve your mood, encourage you to get out and exercise, offer social support and help stave off loneliness.

For people with disabilities, pet ownership offers an added benefit. Owning a service animal can give the person with a disability a newfound sense of freedom and independence.

The copyright of the article Four-Legged and Furry Helpers in Disabilities is owned by Megan Drummond. Permission to republish Four-Legged and Furry Helpers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.