Assistance dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler (sometimes with the help of a professional trainer).
Contents |
[edit] Classification
There are three general "types" in which an assistance dog may be further classified. Most assistance dogs will be trained for only one of these, though "combination" dogs do exist.
- Guide dogs assist the blind and the visually impaired.
- Hearing dogs, or signal dogs, help the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Other Assistance Dogs refers to dogs not specifically trained for visual or hearing impairment, but trained to do other work, such as mobility assistance dogs, seizure response dogs, hypo alert dogs, (used for diabetic people to warn of instances of low and sometimes high blood sugar levels before it becomes dangerous) and psychiatric service dogs. In the United States, the term "service dog" may be used synonymously with "assistance dog," and is occasionally used for other types of working dogs as well. In the UK the term assistance dog is used exclusively.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- "Detailed Discussion of Assistance Animal Laws (2007)" (accessed 02/11/08)
- Legal information about service dogs in the United States
- A Clearing House for Service Dogs and Training
- Assistance Dogs International
- ADI's Member Organizations
- Assistance dog tasks listed at the IAADP website
- DMOZ Open Directory Project: Service Dogs
- National Census of Assistance Dogs
- Cancer & Bio Detection Dogs UK
