Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/dogs-faq/service

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From: [e-mail] (Cindy Tittle Moore)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.pets.dogs:  Service Dogs FAQ
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Date: 14 Dec 1993 00:01:17 -0500
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Summary: Describes various kinds of service dogs, including guide dogs,
         signal dogs, therapy dogs, etc.
X-Last-Updated: 1993/10/20
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.pets.dogs:50646 rec.answers:3345 news.answers:15772

Archive-name: dogs-faq/service
Last-modified: 19 Oct 1993

This is one of the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Lists for
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article is Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 by Cindy Tittle Moore.  It may be
freely distributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice
is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit nor incorporated in
commercial documents without the author's written permission.  This
article is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

Cindy Tittle Moore
Internet: [e-mail]           USmail: PO BOX 4188, Irvine CA 92716
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


SERVICE DOGS.

  A.  Dogs for the Blind
  B.  Hearing and Signal Dogs.
  C.  Canine Companions for Independence.
  D.  Therapy Dogs.
  E.  More Information.

A.  Dogs for the Blind

My thanks to Rusty Wright for the information on Guide Dogs.

Dogs can be trained to accompany and guide blind people.  Most
commonly referred to as "Seeing Eye Dogs" or "Guide Dogs," there are
actually several organizations within the US and many abroad that
train dogs to guide the blind.

There are many organizations in the US that provide guide dogs for
blind people.  In the East it's The Seeing Eye (Morristown, NJ), and
in the West it's Guide Dogs for the Blind (San Rafael, CA).  There is
Leader Dogs for the Blind in the Michigan area.  Guide Dogs of the
Desert is a Southern California-based group.  [more detailed
addresses?]

Dogs guiding the blind must not only be able to guide their owner
through traffic, obstacles, etc, but also must ignore other people,
dogs, and distractions.  They are, by law in most places, allowed to
enter any building or establishment.

1.  Guide Dogs for the Blind [US]

Guide Dogs got started in 1942.  It costs them about $40,000 per dog.
This reflects how much money they get in donations: to arrive at this
figure they take their total yearly operating costs and divide it by
the number of successful dogs they produce.

The breeds used by Guide Dogs are black and yellow Labs, Golden
Retriever, and German Shepherd.  The males and females used for
breeding live in homes as regular "pets."  They go back to Guide Dogs
to be bred and the females go back when they're in season even if they
aren't going to be bred.  The females are bred once a year.  The
females also go back to whelp and raise their puppies in the Guide Dog
kennels.  All of these breeders live in homes within a 50 mile radius
of Guide Dogs.

Families who raise the puppies simply train them in basic dog
obedience, and stress lots of socialization and good manners.  For
example, if you go to a dog show, you are likely to see several such
puppies there, learning to take it all in stride.  The dogs go back
for their formal training when they're about 1.5 years old, although
they can go back as young as 1.0 year old.

Children are preferred as puppy raisers, hence the coordination with
4-H.  Interestingly enough, the puppies raised by kids are more likely
to make it through the formal guide dog training.  The difference is
not drastic, but is "significant."

When dogs go back for their training they're carefully screened for
any hip abnormalities.  If the hips aren't very good they're
immediately "retired."  The formal training takes about 6 months.
During this time they live in the kennels at Guide Dogs.  During their
formal training they get a letter grade (A-F) each week.  Dogs can
fail for a variety of reasons.  As you might guess, some dogs don't
transition well from living in a puppy raiser's home to living in the
kennels and just get stressed out and fail.  The puppy raiser gets the
option of keeping a dog that failed.  If the puppy raiser can't keep
the dog they can place it in a home.  The puppy raiser can also let
Guide Dogs place the dog; the waiting list is at least 3 years long.

Before a guide dog is given to a blind person the blind person must
attend training at Guide Dogs.  This training is 4 weeks long.  During
this time the blind person lives in the dorms at Guide Dogs.  There
are about 12 people in each 4-week class.  The first week of training
is without the dog.  During the last week of training they make field
trips to downtown San Francisco.  People coming back to get a
replacement dog take a two week "refresher" class.  A graduation
ceremony is held on Saturday at 1pm, every 4 weeks at Guide Dogs for
the Blind in San Rafael.  The puppy raisers come to the graduation
ceremony and each puppy raiser formally presents the guide dog they
raised to the blind person.  (As you can imagine, it's a rather
tearful ceremony.)  The public is welcome to come to the graduations;
they are held outdoors and attire is casual.  After the graduation
ceremony there is a demonstration of a working guide dog and tours of
the kennels and facilities.

Guide Dogs for the Blind is a completely non-profit organization and
survives entirely on donations.  The blind people don't pay any money
for the guide dog.  The guide dog is still owned by Guide Dogs while
the blind person has it; there have been occasional cases where the
blind person just wasn't equipped or prepared to have a dog and the
dog is returned to Guide Dogs.  Guide Dogs makes a yearly visit with
each blind person that has one of their dogs to check on the dog's
health, behavior, etc.

2.  Statens Hundskola [Sweden]

In Sweden (Statens Hundskola) they screen the dogs at least twice, the
first time just before sexual maturity to determine if a male dog will
be neutered.  Their main problem is that so many dogs wind up
unsuitable, so they are starting an education programme for the people
who take care of the puppies.

[I envision sections on Seeing Eye, UK Guide dogs, etc, being added.]

3.  References

Pfaffenberger, Clarence J.  _The new knowledge of dog behavior_.
Foreword by J. P. Scott.  Consultant on genetics: Benson E. Ginsburg.
New York, Howell Book House, 1963.
  Gives an excellent history of how Guide Dogs was started, and has
  other interesting information.

Pfaffenberger, Clarence J., et al., with the editorial assistance of
Sarah F. Scott. _Guide Dogs for the Blind, Their Selection,
Development, and Training_.  Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier Scientific
Pub.  Co.; distributors for the U.S. and Canada, Elsevier/North
Holland, 1976.
  Many specific details on the genetics, training, 4-H project
  coordination, and so forth.  Includes a history of the organization.

Harrington, Paula.  _Looking ahead: Guide Dogs for the Blind_. 1st ed.
San Rafael, CA: Guide Dogs for the Blind, c1990.
  This one is sort of a "coffee table" book; lots of nice color
  photographs, and it covers the history of Guide Dogs, the training
  (both for the dog and the blind person), the 4-H puppy raisers, and
  lots of other stuff.


B.  Hearing and Signal Dogs.

Other dogs are trained to assist deaf people.  They alert their owner
to a variety of sounds, usually by coming up to the person and going
back to the source of the sound.  They will signal on door bell and
knocking, phones, smoke alarms, crying babies and much more.  They are
licensed as are guide dogs and are to be permitted anywhere,
although since they are not as widely recognized, their owners often
have to display their permit.

There are several organizations that train hearing dogs; CCI (below)
is one of them.  Others (I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the
addresses except where noted):

  * American Humane Association, 5351 S. Roslyn Street, Englewood,
    Colorado 80111.  (303-779-1400.
  * Audio Dogs, 27 Crescent Street, Brooklyn, New York 11208.
    212-827-2792.
  * Dogs for the Deaf, Applegate Behavior Station, 13260 Highway 238,
    Jacksonville, Oregon 97530.  503-899-7177.
  * Guide Dog Foundation, 371 Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, New York
    11787. 516-265-2121.
  * Hearing Dog, Inc., Agnes McGrath, Director; 5901 E. 89 Ave.,
    Henderson, Colorado 80640.  303-287-3277 (voice/tty).
  * NEADS (New England Assistance Dog Service), P.O. Box 213, West
    Boylston, Massachusetts 01583.  508-835-3304 (TT/voice).  Verified
    May '92.
  * San Francisco SPCA, Hearing Dog Program, 2500 16th Street, San
    Francisco, CA 94103.  415-554-3020.  Verified March '92.

An organization that teaches deaf people to train their own dogs:

  * Handi-Dogs, Inc., PO Box 12563, Tucson, Arizona 85732.  602-326-3412
    or 602-325-6466.

The National Information Center on Deafness at Gallaudet University,
publishes a fact sheet on hearing ear dogs.  It can be obtained by
sending $1.00 to NICD, Gallaudet University, 800 Flordia Ave., NE,
Washington, DC 20002.  The fact sheet discusses commonly asked
questions about hearing ear dogs and it lists training programs
across the U.S.


C.  Canine Companions for Independence.

CCI was founded in 1975.  They estimate that each of their dogs takes
about $20,000 to train, a cost covered by donations and volunteer
work.  It is a national-wide organization with many regional chapters.

National Headquarters            NW Regional Center
4350 Occidental Road            1215 Sebastopol Road
P.O. Box 446                Santa Rosa, CA 95407-6834
Santa Rosa, CA 95402-0446        707-579-1985 V/TDD
702-528-0830 V/TDD

SW Regional Center            SE Regional Center
P.O. Box 8247                P.O. Box 547511
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067-8247        Orlando, FL 32854-7511
619-756-1012 V/TDD            407-682-2535 V/TDD

NC Regional Center            NE Regional Center
4989 State Route 37 East        P.O. Box 205
Delaware, OH 43015-9682            Farmingdale, NY 11735-0205
614-548-4447 V/TDD            516-694-6938 V/TDD

This organization is involved in training dogs to assist handicapped
people.  They train signal dogs for the deaf, and dogs for physically
disabled or developmentally disabled persons.

Canine Companions for Independence has provided highly skilled
assistance dogs for people with disabilities since 1975.  CCI started
as a small, at-home organization and has grown into a dynamic
non-profit agency with five regional centers nationwide.

A Canine Companion's specialized training starts in a volunteer puppy
raiser's home.  The puppy raiser is responsible for the young dog's
care, socialization, and the teaching of basic commands.  At 1.5 years
of age, the dog is returned to a CCI regional training center for
eight months of advanced training by a professional CCI instructor.
The dog is then ready for an intensive two-to-three week training camp
where its new owner learns to work with a fully trained dog.

It costs more than US$20,000 to breed, raise, and train each Canine
Companion, yet recipients pay only a US$25 application fee and US$100
for training seminar supplies. The dog is provided completely free of
charge.  CCI depends entirely on donations; it does not receive
government funds.  CCI also relies heavily on the dedication of its
many volunteers, who play a vital role in CCI's mission to provide
exceptional dogs for exceptional people.

The breeds CCI uses for service and social dogs are black and yellow
Labs, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Lab/Golden Retriever
mix.  CCI is moving away from using German Shepherds for two reasons:
first, a lot of the public view (and fear) German Shepherds as
"police" or "guard" dogs, and second, German Shepherds bond very
strongly to people and the program is difficult on them because first
they form a strong bond to their puppy raiser, then to their trainer
when they go back to CCI, and then to their eventual handicapped
owner.  For signal dogs they use Corgis and Border Collies.

CCI will work with people in need of assistance to determine if a
properly trained dog can provide that assistance.  Dogs can be taught
to retrieve a variety of things -- even to distinguish between
specific items -- and to manipulate a variety of objects.  Monkeys
have been tried for this purpose, as they are more dexterous.
However, they are not as reliably trainable and are very expensive, so
dogs present a much more practical alternative.  Given some
extensions, such as rope handles on doors and light switches, dogs can
give a disabled person complete mobility within her or his home.

CCI finds and trains a variety of dogs for different forms of
assistance: hearing dogs, physically disabled assistant dogs, even as
therapy dogs.  They are all neutered, as with guide dogs.  People who
are to receive one of the dogs are required to attend a two-week
seminar to learn how to communicate and care for their assistance.  As
needed, the people and their dogs are provided with permits that
identify the dogs as licensed canine companions -- this is enough to
gain entry into most places, as with the more well-known Seeing Eye
dogs.

Similar organizations include:

Canine Helpers for the Handicapped Inc
Beverly Underwood
5705 Ridge Rd
Lockport, NY 14094
[phone], voice/tty

Canine Working Companions, Inc
Pat McNamara, Director
RD 2 Box 170
Gorton Lake Road
Waterville, NY  13480
[phone] voice/tdd


D.  Therapy Dogs.

Dogs are quite often used in therapy.  This ranges from visiting
hospitalized people to being a companion dog for mentally handicapped
or disturbed persons.  There are a variety of groups that train
therapy dogs, some local and some national.  Some use the AKC Canine
Good Citizen test to choose suitable dogs, others have devised their
own Temperament Tests.

A national organization that dispenses information about therapy dogs
is the Delta Society, PO Box 1080, Renton, WA 98057, [phone].

In addition many local humane societies, breed clubs, and obedience
clubs do some hospital visitation.

RESOURCES:

*_Therapy Dog_.
  Therapy dog training.  A good psychology book with gentle training
  methods.

Harrington, Paula.  _Looking ahead: Guide Dogs for the Blind_. 1st ed.
San Rafael, CA: Guide Dogs for the Blind, c1990.
  This one is sort of a "coffee table" book; lots of nice color
  photographs, and it covers the history of Guide Dogs, the training
  (both for the dog and the blind person), the 4-H puppy raisers, and
  lots of other stuff.

Pfaffenberger, Clarence J., et al., with the editorial assistance of
Sarah F. Scott. _Guide Dogs for the Blind, Their Selection,
Development, and Training_.  Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier Scientific
Pub.  Co.; distributors for the U.S. and Canada, Elsevier/North
Holland, 1976.
  Many specific details on the genetics, training, 4-H project
  coordination, and so forth.

Audio Dogs
27 Crescent Street
Brooklyn, New York 11208.
212-827-2792.

Canine Companions For Independence (CCI)
P.O. Box 446
Santa Rosa, CA 95402-0446
707-528-0830 V/TDD

Delta Society
(Information on Therapy Dogs)
PO Box 1080
Renton, WA 98057

Dogs for the Deaf
Applegate Behavior Station
13260 Highway 238
Jacksonville, Oregon 97530.
503-899-7177.

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation
P.O. Box 142
Bloomfield,CT 06002
203-243-5200

Guide Dog Foundation
371 Jericho Turnpike
Smithtown, New York 11787.
516-265-2121.

Handi-Dogs, Inc.
PO Box 12563
Tucson, Arizona 85732.
602-326-3412 or 602-325-6466.

Hearing Dog, Inc.
Agnes McGrath, Director
5901 E. 89 Ave.,
Henderson, Colorado 80640.
303-287-3277 (voice/tty).

New England Assistance Dog Service (NEADS)
P.O. Box 213
West Boylston
Massachusetts 01583.
508-835-3304 (TT/voice).
Verified May '92.

San Francisco SPCA
Hearing Dog Program
2500 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103.
415-554-3020.
Verified March '92.


E.  More Information.

  * Cen/SHARE (Center for the Study of Human-Animal Relationships and
    their Environments) is a privately & publically funded center
    utilizing faculty from Vet Med and Psychology.  They do quite a
    bit of research and education, including studies of service dogs
    and their owners.  The director's name is Geraldine Gage.  Her
    phone number is 612-625-5741.  The associate director is Dr.
    Joseph Quigley at 612-626-0835.  The mailing address is 80 Ford
    Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.

"Social acknowledgements for children with disabilities: effects of
service dogs."  Bonnie Mader, et.a.l.  Child Development 60:6,
p1529-34.

And one more...."The Animal Preference Test and its relationship to
behavioral problems in young children."  E.B. Rojas, et.al. Journal of
Personality Assessm ment 57:1, p141-8.

Pflaumer, Sharon
Seizure-alert dogs
Dog World 77(l): 42-43, January 1992
(the article says you can contact Reina Berner, The Epilepsy Institute,
67 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003 where a program of seizure -alerting
dogs is being developed)

Mefford, Eleanor M
Bringing Up Baby
Dog World 77(2): 36-38,39  Feb, 1992
(article is about raising dogs to be used with young children suffering
from socialization problems and language abilities problems)

Ashby, Ann Gritt
Healing war's wounds
Dog World 77(7): 40-43, July 1992
(article is about using animals as therapy for mentally ill veterans)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article is Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 by Cindy Tittle Moore.  It may be
freely distributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice
is not removed.  It may not be sold for profit nor incorporated in
commercial documents without the author's written permission.  This
article is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

Cindy Tittle Moore
Internet: [e-mail]           USmail: PO BOX 4188, Irvine CA 92716
--------------------------------------------------------------------------