sdog.danawheels.netService Dogs

and More! Select where you want to go What's New! What's New! Guide Dogs Hearing/Signal Dogs Access Issues Info for Businesses Laws pertaining to Service Animals Assistance and Webring OT-Adogs Webring Training Your Own Dog Training Your Own SD - Gillis Travelling With Your Service Dog Teamwork Books/Videos SD Information Cards Wrap-Around Leashes Service Dog Articles A-Dogs Links Assistance Dog Equipment Links General Dog Links Books about Doberman Pinscher Links Back to the Service Dog Page Back to the Index Page NOTE: The creator of this page and service, Dana L. Marshall, died on OCT.28 2012. All info and data on this site has not been updated from that point. Tho Amazon.com links are still good. Items that Dana sold like the ID cards are nolonger avilable. I will try to delete those links along with the no longer good phone numbers when I find them. I just now got access to this page to post this update. Keith Marshall (Dana's husband) Welcome to my page, with educational information on Service (Assistance) Dogs, General Dog Links, and links to Doberman Pinscher sites. ATTENTION: Due to a problem with Yahoogroups, all members of the OT-Adogs (Owner-Trained Assistance Dogs) list have been deleted from the list. I don't know why Yahoogroups did this, but I'm doing my best to fix it. I am going to be manually adding members back into the list, but if you were on the list, and aren't now, please go to this page and rejoin the list. I've been partnered with a Service (Assistance) Dog for the past 12 years, and am working on training my 3rd dog. Being partnered with a dog that helps me in everyday life is a wonderous thing, but there is a downside that many people don't know about these dogs, and what they can do for disabled people. It is my hope that I can educate disabled persons about these wonderful dogs, as well as how to obtain one, the laws that govern , and also educate the general public to the fact that these dogs do exist, and that they are truly special, and how to react when someone encounters one of these special dogs. The first thing you need to know is that certification/tags/ID cards/certificates ARE NOT required. Click on the link above (it's in blue) to be taken to a page that explains more why certification is not required. I bet you're asking WHAT a dog can do for a person who is disabled. A service dog can do many tasks, depending on the person's disability. A dog guide is the eyes for its blind handler, taking the handler around obsticles. A hearing dog alerts the handler to sounds, a Seizure Alert/Response dog responds when the handler has a seizure, and a Mobility Assist Dog (also called a Service Dog), is the arms and legs for a disabled person. A psychiatric service dog keeps a person with an psychiatric disorder calm and able to be going to out in public. For more specific examples, please see the Assistance Dog part of this page. For those looking to train their own dog and are physically disabled, I sell the Teamwork books (Teamwork 1 and 2) in partnership with Amazon.com to anyone that visits this site. Go here to my books page for more information. Assistance Dog Advocacy ATTENTION!!!! If you have a problem relating to Service Dog access, or have questions about service dogs, you are more than welcome to contact me. Normally, I take calls from 10am Pacific Time to 5pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. That's WEST COAST time, if you're calling from the East Coast (Florida, New York, etc), it's 3 hours differece. When it's where you are, it's 7am here. My phone number is (360) 897-9015. I have voice mail, so if I do not answer the phone, please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as possible. These times are NOT flexible. I also do not answer the phone on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays. This is a home based business, and many people have been calling at 6am, or calling after 10pm, or calling all weekend. Please respect that I do this for FREE, or I may change phone numbers and not offer this valuable service. This site is dedicated to my first Service Dog, Tyler, who after five years of working for me, had to be retired due to medical problems. This is our last picture with Tyler before he was given back to his trainer and retired at her home. Gillis is my 2nd Assistance Dog. He was given to me at 7 weeks of age, and we've been training ever since then. Gillis has been a great Assistance Dog! Here's a pic of Gillis in working clothes, laying next to my wheelchair. :) (He's 13 months old in this picture.) And yes, Gillis is a Doberman Pinscher. Gillis had to be retired at the age of 6 years due to arthritis of the back. My 3rd dog, Chewbacca, who I call Chewie was given to me two years ago, and is a Bouvier/German Shepherd mix. I don't have a picture of him yet, but I will soon. For updates to Chewbacca's training, a list of commands we are working on, and the equipment he uses, please click here . Assistance Dog Information Many people have seen Guide dogs in their daily lives, guiding their handlers expertly around obstacles and across streets. There are, however, dogs that help someone who is deaf, in a wheelchair, using crutches, and for many other disabilities. The main types of Assistance Dogs (called in the Americans with Disabilities Act and many laws), are: Guide Dogs: Probably the most familiar type of service dog is the guide dog that is trained to help blind or visually impaired people. These dogs serve as the eyes for their owner, navigating them through traffic, stairs and sidewalks while avoiding all obstacles that could cause injury. Hearing Dogs: Similar to guide dogs, "hearing" or "signal" dogs are specially trained to assist deaf people. They alert their owner to sounds, usually by approaching their owner and then by going back to the source of the sound. They signal such noises as doorbells, phones, smoke alarms, crying babies, microwave bells and even tea kettles whistling. These dogs have the same access privileges as guide dogs and are permitted in all public and private facilities. : Service Dog is the catch all term for any dog that helps a physically or mentally disabled person. You have the following catagories: Mobility Assist Dog: Pulls a person's wheelchair, carries things in a backpack, picks up things a person drops, opens/closes doors, helps the handler get dressed or undressed. Walker Dog: Helps the handler walk by balancing or acting as a counter balance. Does many of the tasks that the Mobility Assist Dog does. Seizure Alert/Response Dog: This dog is trained to respond to a person's seizures and either stay with the person, or go get help. Some dogs are trained to hit a button on a console to automatically dial 911. When the dog hears the voice over the speaker, the dog starts barking. The disabled person would have arranged that the system is dog activated. Psychiatric Service Dog: A person with a mental disability may need a dog to be able to go out in public (agraphobic), or may be autistic and need the dog to keep them focused. These dogs are trained NEVER to leave their handler's side. For more information on tasks that a dog can do, go to the IAADP PSD Info page. SsigDog: A dog trained to assist a person with autism. The dog alerts the partner to distracting repetitive movements common among those with autism, allowing the person to stop the movement (e.g., hand flapping). A person with autism may have problems with sensory input and need the same support services from a dog that a dog might give to a person who is blind or deaf. Combo Dog: Some programs, Paws With A Cause, for example, have started training dogs for people with multiple disabilities, like a guide/mobility assist dog. Also, "service animal" is the legal terms for ANY animal that assists someone who is disabled, therefore, a guide dog is also a service dog/animal. Like guide and hearing dogs, service dogs of any type, are allowed in public when accompanying their disabled handler. This list is not ...