We Train Service Dogs to Help Humans with Disabilities
Department of Justice has issued revised ADA Title II (which covers state and local government programs) and Title III (which covers private businesses, a.k.a. places of public accommodation such as restaurants or retail merchants) regulations, which took effect March 15, 2011. These regulations revise the definition of service animal and add additional provisions.
A service animal is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.
Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation tasks
- Alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of sounds
- Providing non-violent protection or rescue work
- Pulling a wheelchair
- Assisting an individual during a seizure
- Alerting individuals to the presence of allergens
- Retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone
- Providing physical support and assistance with balance and mobility disabilities.
- Helping individuals with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors
Evaluation and Instruction
All Service Dog candidates must be evaluated prior to training. A dog must have the social temperament and suitability to preform the tasks needed to provide assistance for their handler. Anderson K9 Service Dog Training will instruct to a minimum of 120 documented hours equivalent to the standards outlined by the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners.
