Interesting article.  I've read accounts of service dogs being very helpful with autistic children.

We used to have a woman come to church with her service dog. She was wheelchair-bound and had a condition that made it very painful for her to use her hands. I went to her home once and was amazed to see the things this dog would do for her (including many of the things that were mentioned in the article). She got her dog through an organization called PADS - Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (www.pads.ca).

Hi kaythecurler,

Thanks for the link.  In the interest of sharing here's one from Canada:

http://www.servicedog.ca/

Service dog work covers an incredible range of needs.  It also costs an incredible amount of money to train a service dog.  For some types of service dog (Autism service dogs for example) the training is unique for each animal because the particular needs of the individual receiving the animal are unique.

The first Autism service dog I got to see in action was for a young guy who was a runner.  For no apparent reason the young boy would just take off and this unpredicatbility meant the very real possibility of dashing out into busy traffic roadways.

This particular dog was trained to be an anchor (I'm sure he had other incredible talents--I got to see the anchor at work).  The child was tethered to the dog and the tether would only give the child so much room.  So long as the child moved about at an average pace the dog would keep in step.  As soon as the child bolted the dog would brace and once the child reached the end of the tether it was going no further unless it could pull a full grown lab fully resisting with it.

Yes, the stop was rather sudden.  As would any stop be when a moving body gets to the end of its run.  It wasn't violent.

The dog would also move the child away from the roadway if it felt the child was too close.  A  full grown lab usually has no problem dragging a small child where it thinks it ought to be.  And a young lab will likely not get tired of pulling before the child does.

One of the families from our local Autism Ontario chapter received a service dog for her daughter almost two years ago.  I don't believe that running was the issue but there was a companion component built into that dog's training.

Another family has just recently received their service dog.  I bumped into them on an outing which I always regret because I'm a big softie when it comes to dogs and you can't fawn all over a service dog when it is actually working.  I believe this was primarily companion trained.  The parents of the child commented on how the kids roll all over the dog and how ultimately they have to take the kids away because they feel the dog needs a break and sometimes the kids get a little rough.

If I remember correctly both of these families received dogs from the National Service Dog operation in Cambridge, ON.  I also believe that there had been a funding cut which resulted in a backlog between applications for dogs and the time to provide them.

The link to NSD is here:
http://www.nsd.on.ca/index.php

Take time to read the testimonials under the service dogs header.  Great stories.

Grace and peace to you.

John

I'm constantly amazed about the lack of knowledge regarding service dogs.  Back when I worked in retail a coworker reached down to pet a seeing-eye dog.  The person abruptly told her not too.  She was offended due to the tone of voice.  I had learned in at a very young age in school not to pet a service dog while on duty though.  Easy enough mistake though.

Then there was the winners incident.  A girl (I believe she had autism) had a service dog and they were asked to leave the store.  She was given a gift card after a complaint was made.  When she returned (with the dog) they were asked to leave again.

Two retail stores, maybe people who deal with the public need to have this included in training.

I agree Chemgal - when I was in elementary school, someone brought a puppy that there family was training to be a service dog into our classroom so that we could learn about the program.

I know of dogs trained to do all kinds of things.

There are also unseen heroes, dogs working that are not clearly identified as service dogs. Some are therapy dogs.

Some are just loving dogs. My niece is epileptic, her untrained dog is basically a seizure assist dog. The dog could not likely get a green light for service dog, but it is seizure sensitive when it relates to my niece. It cannot tell when one is coming,but it will push things away when she has a tonic clonic seizure (formerly known as a grand mal) or put itself between her and say a table leg. It pushes against her, and with or without intent puts her onto her side when it lays against her. It also basically holds her down afterwards (paws across her chest) while she is in the postictal state (confusion/disorientation after a seizure). This also helps her awareness of having had a seizure. 

We have a friend who has a service dog for PTSD.

I have had the pleasure of being friends with two people with service dogs.  One for vision, one due to need for assistance.

In both cases, it was wonderful how the dog gave freedom back to the person.  Yes, it took effort. Yes, there were some failures with dogs that were bad matches.

Such a great concept - wish more folks could have them.   I hadn't heard of use of dogs for those with PTSD - very interesting, since I have a number of clients with PTSD - I shall have to find out more about that.

Our small dog - a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - was bred to be a service dog - for those with hearing impairment.  However, he had 'runny eyes' and so was not taken into the programme - which was most fortunate for us, as he became part of our family for 16 years and brought us much joy through his loving companionship.