Lia Stoll is a disability writer with a focus in create content voicing Accessibility and Inclusion and is the Co-founder Lara Guide Dogs
According to ShareAmerica, the U.S. Department of State’s platform for sharing compelling stories, there are 500,000 service dogs in the US alone.
With this in mind, rental accommodations have a unique opportunity to do business. So let’s briefly cover the 8 types of assistance dogs recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the European Equality Act 2010.
#1: Guide Dogs
You can recognize a guide dog by the special harnesses with a bar at the end for their owner to hold on to. Some of the extraordinary abilities of a guide dog are helping their blind or visually impaired person to:
Navigate crowds and crossings
Guide around obstacles
Locate stairs, doors and public transport, and seats
Their most unique trait is “selective disobedience”—the ability to make choices based on their own assessment of a situation.
#2: Mobility Assistance Dogs
Mobility assistance dogs support adults and children with arthritis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injuries to carry out daily tasks.
These tasks include:
Help with dressing
Opening and closing doors
Turning lights on and off
Retrieving objects
Helping with balance and stability
Carrying items in a backpack
Pulling a wheelchair
Barking the alert command for “Help”
Pushing accessible door buttons
#3: Hearing Dogs
Hearing dogs help deaf and deafblind people stay by making physical contact with their person leading them to the source of the sound or away from it.
Some of the important sounds alert sounds are:
Doorbells
Knocks on the door
Fire alarms, alarm clocks
Baby's cries
#4: Autism Support Dogs
Autism support dogs help autistic children and their families with their journey to school, shopping trips, and doctor visits. They also protect children from dangerous situations, like navigating crossings and traffic. Specific tasks include:
Navigating social settings
Navigating crossings and traffic
Managing autistic children when they wander
Providing companionship to autistic children who have a hard time connecting with other humans.
#5: Seizure Alert / Assistance Dogs
Seizure-alert dogs recognize subtle signs of oncoming seizures. They alert for help and position themselves in a way that protects the person during the seizure.
Their tasks include:
Placing their body between their person and the floor to break a fall
Lying next to the person having the seizure preventing injury
Providing support and comfort during a seizure
Alerting a designated person of an oncoming seizure by activating a device
#6: Diabetic / Hypo-Alert Dogs
Diabetic alert dogs are trained to alert diabetic adults and children when their blood sugar levels have spiked too high or dropped too low to avoid reaching dangerous levels.
They do this by:
Alerting (nudging, poking) Pressing a button to call 911 or a relative
Retrieving diabetes test kits or medications
Providing support while walking and/or helping their person stand after sitting or after a fall
Carrying objects
Opening/closing doors, cabinets, or drawers
#7: Allergy Detection Dogs
Allergy detection dogs are trained to smell allergy triggers like peanuts or gluten in their person’s home but also in public places, such as shops, schools, and trains. They indicate to their person the source of the trigger and often are trained to respond in case of an anaphylactic shock.
#8: Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs are trained alongside their owner and together they visit regularly in various institutions, such as:
Schools
Retirement homes
Hospitals
Psychiatric hospitals
The Journey From Pup To Pro
At 8 weeks puppies are tested and chosen for their health and temperament and placed with devoted volunteer puppy raisers.
With the help of expert trainers, the puppies learn basic skills helping them grow into confident, well-socialized dogs.
After 12-18 months the young dogs begin their advanced training learning the different skills needed to help their future human partner with everyday life. The training for each dog is carefully tailored to their personality, learning style, and the type of person that they will be matched with. Our hero dogs work with their clients for 8–10 years before they retire in their happy, loving homes.