September is National Service Dog Month!

The skills displayed by these amazing dogs will blow your mind. 

Mobility assistance dogs

Help people perform everyday tasks like opening doors, retrieving objects, and turning on lights. They can also help people with spinal cord injuries by pulling wheelchairs, assisting with balance and stability, and alerting others to medical crises.

Guide dogs

Help people who are blind or have low vision navigate the world.

Hearing dogs

Assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For example, they can alert their owners when someone is approaching from behind.

Health Alert dogs

Use their sense of smell to alert people with diabetes to blood sugar highs and lows, which can be dangerous.

They can help people with epilepsy detect the onset of seizures.

Psychiatric service dogs

Help people with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For example, they can remind people to take medication or lick their hand to signal an oncoming panic attack.

According to the website of the United Disabilities Services Foundation (UDSF) the best qualities for service dogs are:

A desire to work. A dog should be happier on a walk or at the dog park than laying around at home.

A calm demeanor. Won’t cause disturbances in public or be easily startled by their surroundings.

Intelligence. Service dogs perform complex tasks that require innate intelligence and good decision making.

A friendly disposition. Dogs that are friendly and comfortable around people and other animals.

A loving disposition. Dog must be able to form a strong bond to serve their person’s needs.

They go on to share that the best breeds for potential Service Dogs are

Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Poodles, Boxers, Great Danes, Border Collies, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Pomeranians and Portuguese Water Dogs

Learn more at: https://udservices.org/types-of-service-dogs/