Service Dogs: Partners in Independence

Originally published in TC Dog in 2005.

When Leana Beasley of Richland, Washington fell out of her wheelchair, her Rottweiler Faith came to her aid by speed-dialing 911 and barking into the receiver. When paramedics arrived, Faith recognized them by their uniforms, unlocked the door and let them in. Faith was hailed as a hero and her story was seen around the world, but to her it was all in a day's work. Faith is a service dog, specially trained to meet the day-to-day needs of her disabled owner. Everything Faith did that day she had learned in her specialized training.

Most people are aware that there are dogs trained to help the visually impaired navigate safely. Though they're commonly called Seeing-Eye Dogs(c), that's actually a trademarked term referring only to dogs trained by The Seeing-Eye in Morristown, New Jersey. Dogs can assist people with a wide range of disabilities. Hearing dogs, for example, alert deaf or hard-of-hearing people to doorbells, alarm clocks, crying babies, telephones, smoke alarms, and other important sounds that could otherwise go unnoticed.

A service dog's training can be tailored to the needs of a particular owner. Someone who uses a wheelchair might need a dog to pull the chair, to retrieve dropped objects, open and close doors, turn lights on and off, press elevator buttons or automatic door plates, to assist them in dressing and undressing, put laundry in the washer or pull it from the dryer, or to retrieve an emergency phone and call for help. Someone else might need a dog to help with balance, or to brace against when rising from a seated position or getting out of bed.

There are dozens of programs and facilities around the country dedicated to training and placing hearing dogs and/or service dogs, and two of them are here in the Twin Cities. Helping Paws (which also has a branch in Wisconsin) trains dogs to serve owners with physical disabilities other than blindness or deafness. Since its incorporation, over 90 dogs have been placed. Helping Paws uses golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers, which it obtains through its own breeding program. Standard poodles are also used on a very limited basis.

Puppies are thoroughly tested for temperament, trainability, and for potential physical problems. Once selected, a puppy goes to live with a volunteer foster family, where it will learn social and obedience skills, as well as general service skills. When it's 2 to 2 1/2 years old, it's matched with an applicant who is disabled, with whom it receives more specialized training. Applicants for a dog are as carefully chosen as the dogs themselves in a process that includes screening interviews and checking references.

The cost to the applicant is minimal-just a $25 application fee, and $150 or so for equipment. Helping Paws covers the rest of the cost of raising and training a dog through individual, group, and service club contributions; corporate and church grants; merchandise sales; and yearly fundraising events, including the annual Run & Romp "six-legged race"-a fun run/walk in Shoreview for dogs and their owners. An extensive network of volunteers also helps defray expenses.

"I have a real appreciation for the difference a dog can make in someone's life," says Helping Paws Director of Programs Eileen Bohn. "Dogs can contribute so much to us, not only in tasks but in companionship." Indeed, some studies have shown that service dogs increase their owners' senses of safety and well-being, their self-esteem, and their integration into the community.

Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota (HSDM), another nonprofit organization, acquires 50-60% of its trainees from animal shelters, with the rest coming from breeders and rescue groups. HSDM has placed 174 dogs since 1989 and is currently graduating new dog/client teams at a rate of about 30 a year. The organization will consider almost any breed or mix of breeds for its program. Though the standard service dog weighs 50-60 pounds, HSDM regularly trains smaller dogs if they can perform the tasks their future jobs require. Among its recent graduates were a Pomeranian and two Yorkshire terrier mixes. Potential trainees must meet HSDM's temperament, trainability, and health requirements before being accepted into the program. Puppies live in homes with volunteer puppy raisers, where they are socialized and taught basic obedience. The age when they begin training for a specific job varies. The smaller candidates who are often used as hearing dogs, may reach the necessary level of maturity at around 1 year of age, while the larger breeds used as service dogs may need a little more time to grow up before they're ready.

Because many of its applicants have more than one disability, HSDM trains what it calls Special Skills Dogs. A Special Skills Dog can, for example, serve as a hearing dog and provide physical assistance as a service dog. HSDM is the only organization in Minnesota that provides this range of training. HSDM has trained dogs to respond when an owner has a seizure and recently trained a dog to respond to its diabetic owner's blood sugar changes (which it can smell on its owner's breath) by bringing juice or getting help.

Like Helping Paws, HSDM charges disabled owners almost nothing-there is only a $10 application fee. Since HSDM receives no federal, state, or United Way funding, it depends heavily on individual and business donations to meet its expenses. Its primary fund-raising event is the Heel and Wheel Dog Walk, held every September.

Al Peters is HSDM's executive director and has been with the organization since its beginnings 15 years ago. The most rewarding part of his job, he says, "is knowing that you're able to create the circumstance for that kind of impact in someone's life." The impact he's talking about is evident when you talk to any of HSDM's newly graduated owners. Mike Garagiola says his service dog Merlin, a golden retriever/Australian shepherd mix helps him lead a more active life. Brenda Alanen's hearing dog Rookie helps her feel more confident and secure. Fifteen-year-old Frankie McNamara's service dog Hunter, a Labrador retriever, not only assists with physical challenges but is a faithful friend as well.

"He's changed my life." That's the sentiment you'll hear most often from the owner of a service or hearing dog. And to ensure that the relationship continues to be happy and productive, both Helping Paws and Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota do follow-up visits after formal training is finished and offer refresher training for dog and owner should the need arise.

As a hearing or service dog ages, it may not be able to perform its duties as well as it once did. If an owner can get by with his dog performing its duties in a somewhat diminished capacity, he may choose to keep the dog for its natural life. Or he may choose to retire the dog to a home where it no longer has to work. But both Helping Paws and HSDM recommend against getting a new service dog (they're called "successor dogs" in the industry) while the original service dog is still in the home, as the older dog may not realize that it is no longer required to work and may become confused as to what its new role is.

Dogs have been working for us since we first brought them into our lives thousands of years ago. The things they do best and seem to enjoy most-barking, retrieving, tugging and the like-are the things that make them useful as hearing and service dogs. These behaviors, carefully and creatively channeled into essential tasks, are performed eagerly and happily every day by hearing and service dogs, who seem to think that they're the ones who benefit most from the arrangement. Their cheerful service opens doors, both figuratively and literally, for those whose lives may have seemed limited before.