A service dog is a type of assistance dog, specifically trained to help people who have disabilities other than visual or hearing impairment. Examples of these include psychiatric service dogs, mobility assistance dogs, and seizure response dogs. Service dogs are sometimes trained and bred by private organizations. In other cases, the disabled handler may train their dog themselves with or without the aid of a private trainer. While most regional laws do not require any special labeling of these dogs, many service dogs can be identified by the cape, jacket, or harness they wear. An assistance dog is a dog trained to help a person with a disability. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Visual impairment is the functional loss of vision. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... A Psychiatric Service Dog is a dog that helps its handler, who has a mental (psychiatric) disability. ... A mobility assistance dog is a kind of service dog trained to help a person that is physically disabled. ... Seizure response dogs are a special type of service dog, specifically trained to help someone who has epilepsy or is otherwise prone to seizures. ... A cape, jacket, or vest is an article worn by a working dog to identify or assist them in their job. ... A dog harness is similar to harness for horses, and varies depending on the type of use: assistance to a disabled person, hauling a cart or sled, or pulling a human being as in skijoring. ...

If the dogs are not raised by the hosting organization, they will usually spend a year or more with a host family to become acquainted with working around people and all kinds of everyday situations. Also, in the United States, use of selected inmates in prisons as animal trainers and puppy-raisers has proved a valuable resource to service dog organizations. In addition to teaching the dogs basic obedience and other skills needed to prepare them for their future careers, such programs have proved to be mutually beneficial relationships. Often, the inmates develop improved socialization skills and behavior as a result of their work with the dogs. Animal training is a method to teach animals to perform specific acts in response to conditions or stimuli. ...

The process of obtaining a service dog varies. Normally, an application must be submitted to the organization of choice, and a waiting list is usually involved. While some organizations will provide dogs free of charge, some may require large amounts of money, though financial assistance is sometimes offered. The hard work of the new handler learning to work with the dog may take a few weeks to a period stretching over several months. Also, many service dogs are required to touch up their training after they are formally placed, on a yearly or otherwise regular basis. People who train their own dogs generally spend two years and up doing so.

Service dogs and their handlers enjoy special protection under the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which gives them equal access to anywhere the general public is allowed, such as restaurants, public schools, parks, taxis, and aircraft. United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the short title of United States Public Law 101-336, 104 Stat. ... Toms Restaurant, a restaurant in New York made familiar by Suzanne Vega and the television sitcom Seinfeld For other uses, see Restaurant (disambiguation). ... The term public school has different (and in some cases contradictory) meanings due to regional differences. ... An Australian park A park is any of a number of geographic features. ... Taxicab, short forms taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. ... An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ...

External links

• Assistance Dogs - Dogs in Human Health
• Assistance Dogs International
• The Delta Society
• International Association of Assistance Dog Partners
• Legal information about service dogs in the U.S.
• Leonbergers as Service Dogs, and general Service Dog information
• Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides
• Seizure-alert dogs National Geographic News article

Service Dog Organizations

• Assistance Dogs Unlimited - Connecticut and selected adjacent addresses.
• Pacific Assistance Dogs - Vancouver, BC and Calgary, Alberta
• Paws With A Cause - Wayland, Michigan
• Canine Companions for Independence - Santa Rosa, California
• Helping Paws, Inc. - Minnesota
• Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota
• Susquehanna Service Dogs - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• Assistance Dogs Association of North Queensland
• Paws with Purpose - Louisville, Kentucky
• Canine Co-Pilots - Flagstaff, Arizona
• Paws and Effect
• 4 Paws for Ability - Xenia, Ohio
• Powers Paws - Arizona
• Canine Partners For Life - Cochranville, Pennsylvania