Re: mitoldies: service dogs/Milwaukee

[Guest guest]

Hi Janet,

Funny, you mention it. We will be back in Milwaukee

for a week in August. The girls asked if we would see

our " new " Wisocnsin friends while there:)

--- Janet Sample thesamples@...> wrote:

> That was great info Joanne. Thanks for providing

> it. Also glad I had a chance to meet all of you in

> Milwaukee. We will have to do it again.

>

> Janet Sample

> Re: : service dogs

>

>

> Hi ,

>

> lies and both have a service dog.

>

> has had Brooklyn for almost three years. lies

> has

> had Stitches for just over a year. Their dogs

> were

> trained by East Coast Assistance Dog in Torrington

> CT.

> Boot camp was held in Dobbs Ferry, NY. There is

> no

> way to effectively put into wpords the difference

> their dogs have made in their lives, both

> medically,

> socially and emotionally. They are no longer the

> kids

> with this problem (or difference) or that, but the

> gilrs with those fantastic dogs. If you open our

> caringbridge page

> (www.caringbridge.org/il/annakris)

> you can see a photo of the girls and their dogs.

>

> Who May Benefit

>

> Service dogs can benefit people with disabilities

> associated with many diagnoses, including (but not

> limited to):Spinal cord/head trauma (injury,

> stroke),

> Visual or hearing deficits, Arthritis, Ataxia/poor

> balance, Multiple sclerosis, Cerebral palsy,

> Muscular

> dystrophy, Spina bifida, Seizure disorders,

> Cardiac

> and pulmonary disease, Arteriovascular disease

> (primary or secondary to diabetes, etc.),

> Psychiatric

> disabilities.

>

> Any person who has a physical or mental impairment

> that substantially limits a major life activity

> might

> be a candidate for a service dog.

>

> Consideration of a person as a candidate for a

> service

> dog should include not only the diagnosis of a

> chronic

> disability, but also the person's ability to

> function

> on a daily basis:

> * How difficult are activities of daily

> living?

> * Will the person have better stamina if s/he

> can

> conserve energy by having the dog perform tasks?

> * Would having a service dog help the person

> get

> more physical exercise, be more mobile?

> * Would a dog help socially by being a

> distraction

> from the person's disability, or help the person

> externalize his/her focus of attention?

> * Would the dog's presence alleviate some of

> the

> safety and well-being concerns of significant

> others

> who cannot be with the person all day?

> * Would the person eat better if the dog

> carried

> the food from the refrigerator, or if they

> synchronized their meals?

>

> Health Benefits:

> Service dogs help people overcome the limitations

> of

> their disabilities and the barriers in their

> environments.

> Scientific research has begun to validate the role

> of

> service dogs for people with disabilities. In

> 1995, a

> 2-year study by Dr. , et. al., found

> that

> people with disabilities who had service dogs

> scored

> higher for psychological well-being, self-esteem,

> community integration, and the amount of control

> they

> could exert over their environment. In addition,

> the

> number of personal assistant (human) hours

> required

> for care decreased by an average of 78%. This

> represents significant potential savings in health

> care costs. Other studies support the findings of

> improved self-esteem, independence, and social

> acceptance.

>

> Additional research has documented benefits of

> companion animals: Lowered blood pressure,

> Moderation

> of stress, Improved motivation, Decreased serum

> cholesterol, Mitigation of the effects of

> loneliness.

>

> All these are added benefits which a service dog

> can

> provide, in addition to performing the tasks which

> it

> is trained to do.

>

> Tasks Performed by Service Dogs:

>

> Service dogs can be trained to reliably perform

> many

> tasks, some of which are:

>

> * Leading a person who has a visual impairment

> around obstacles, to destinations (seating, across

> street, to/through door, to/into elevator, etc.).

> * Sound discrimination to alert a person with

> a

> hearing impairment to the presence of specific

> sounds,

> such as: Smoke/fire/clock alarms, Telephone,Baby

> crying, Siren, Another person,Timers buzzing,

> Knocks

> at door,

> Unusual sounds (things that go bump in the night,

> mice

> in the cabinet, etc.).

>

> General assistance, including: Mobility (helping

> person balance for transfer/ambulation, pulling

> wheelchair, helping person rise from sitting or

> fallen

> position).

> Retrieval (getting items that are dropped or

> otherwise

> out of reach, carrying items by mouth),

> Miscellaneous

> (e.g., open/close doors and drawers, help person

> undress/dress, carry items in backpack, act as

> physical buffer to jostling by others, put clothes

> in

> washer/remove from dryer, bark to alert for help).

> Sense and alert owners to oncoming seizures. It is

> currently unknown why or how some dogs are able to

> do

> this, but a number of dogs have demonstrated the

> ability to warn their owners of oncoming seizures,

> enabling the owners to position themselves safely.

>

> Brooklyn ('s dog) responds to ventilator

> and

> apnea alarms, monitors 's breathing and

> bumps

> her if she stops or breathes too shallowly, barks

> on

> hand signal command when can't speak or

> move

> hwe eyes to summon help, picks up drops items,

> gets

> telephone for us during an emergency, warns her of

> impending seizures. Stitches (lies dog)

> awakens

> her for ventilator alarms, gets us for apnea

> alarms,

> warns her of impendign seizures, provides balance

> stability to help prevent falls when she is ataxic

> and

> serves as a brace to pull herself up when she

> falls.

> Both dogs do limited hearing alert tasks and both

> can

> do ALL of the standard service dogs tasks (open

> doors,

> lights on/off, tug, carry, retrieve, etc).

>

> If any one is interested, I compiled a

> comprehensive

> listing of all of the recognized service dog

> agencies

> in the US and Internationally, plus a

> comprehensive

> listing of service dog abilities which I'd be

> happy to

> forward to anyone personally or the list (the

>

=== message truncated ===

Joanne Kocourek (mom to , lies, and )

visit us at: http://www.caringbridge.org/il/annakris