service dog

Physical and Emotional Benefits of Service Dogs

Pets are a great source of happiness to those who believe in true companionship. Sometimes having a pet is enough to get over a hard day filled with challenges, as at the end of the day all we seek is relief and comfort and pets are the best providers of it.

They have a unique quality of making you happy with their presence. The love they give is unconditional, they are a true symbol of loyalty and partnership. Many people consider their pets as a blessing and self-commit that their life has drastically changed after having a pet.

Of all pets’ dogs are the most lovable and preferred pets. Dogs have the capacity to build relationships with anything. Their welcoming behavior is loved by everyone, they tend to change the whole mood by making it better and lighter.

Moreover, when we talk about people having emotional and physical disabilities, dogs are a true care taker of such people. People suffering from disabilities can augment all aspects of their life with dogs.

Such dogs that bring a meaningful change in life are known as service dogs, who executes a crucial aid on a person depending on their disability. How these dogs can make your life better is what we are going to know in this article.

How are service dogs beneficial?

Every disability requires special treatment which differs from each other. The service dogs are trained in such a manner that they understand the requirements of a person, this comes with a training that they undergo.

The training teaches them to be socially active and behave in a way so that people love their presence, and their presence doesn’t cause any discomfort to people, only then can they go through service dog registration by passing eligibility criteria.

This is a full two years training which is matched with the disability. Service dogs help people with disabilities in many ways, from small to big they are specially trained to perform every task, starting from household tasks that provides physical support along with they are recognized at proving mental and emotional well-being to disable person.

Physical Benefits

  1. Helps people in wheelchairs- People who lack mobility and are dependent on wheelchairs for movement, dogs are of great help for them. Service dogs are capable of performing any activity on their behalf. These dogs help them walk from one room to another, manipulate light switches and pick anything from the ground or retrieve them from any place. Dogs are also capable of loading laundry. Some of the impressive abilities of service dogs are paying cashiers and pressing handicapped button and pressing elevator button.
  2. They help in preventing epilepsy– Epilepsy is a situation where a person loses consciousness which turns into violence that they cannot control. In this situation service dogs can identify if a person is close to facing seizure. Through training they inculcate this ability to identify and sense the situation of seizure. After identifying they give alert to the owner by providing various signals such as pawing, staring or placing their head or nose on the face of a person. With a prior alert given to epilepsy patients, they can prevent themselves from facing seizure by taking relevant measures that includes getting on a soft surface or on the floor before the seizure happens. Hence, they help a person to prevent such serious circumstances by providing helpful signals.
  3. Benefit people with fatigue issues– As said service dogs help people who have lack of mobility. People lacking fatigue and suffering from any kind of pain and injury face trouble walking. Service dogs initiate a person by helping in movement they help to regain the balance and prevent from falling. The dog can carry items if the person is too weak to handle or hold. Moreover, they can perform various assistive tasks in grocery stores, markets etc. Hence using a service dog is one of the best options if a person faces unstable walking, they are beneficial to regain control.

Emotional benefits

  1. Offers companionship– Gaining a service dog and adding a loyal companion to your life is far better than having people around you who are not genuine. Dogs promise to offer you lifelong commitment of trust, loyalty, faith and love. They accompany you on every path of life be it hard or easy, happy or sad, they promise to be with you all the time. Moreover, if you neglect proper management of your day and daily activities, they push you and motivate you to be organized. In this sense they take care of you entirely by helping you follow a healthy and balanced routine. Hence, dogs provide companionship that can ease feelings of loneliness.
  2. Feeling of independence– Service dogs do things on your behalf, which reduces your dependence on other humans. Instead of relying on other people for help, a dog helps you and assists you in every possible way. Hence, you can easily transfer your tasks to service dog, in this way you will achieve a greater feeling of independence by reducing the toll of relying on other people, as it is always better to rely on a dog than a human, because a dog will never say no. They are equally sufficient as humans for performing any task because they are trained in such a way. Moreover, in this way you tend to develop a greater understanding of each other’s requirements and values.

Conclusion

Getting a service dog is best, but it shouldn’t happen in a hurry. To get yourself a perfect service dog you need to have a perfect knowledge about various service dogs and their services. Along with it you should be aware of your requirements as well, what you seek from a service dog. In this manner you will be able to make the best choice.

All service dogs go through training for obedience and advanced disability service for personalized needs. Investing in service dogs is a good option if you seek personalized service physically and emotionally, they are all capable of providing you with the best possible care.

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