When most people think of service dogs they think of the company Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation and helping the blind. There are also dogs that help people that are in wheel chairs, people living with diabetes, and other diseases. Assistance Dog’s Unlimited is an example of agency that provides service dogs to people with multiple disabilities and needs. There are only a few widely known companies for service dogs, with one of them being Fidelco. Each company has their own opinions about what breed of dog is ideal for a specific disability or need; however, any dog can be a service dog with the proper training. The most common breeds of dogs used are German Shepard for Fidelco and the Labrador for Assistance Dogs Unlimited. No matter what disability a person has there is a service dog that can help.
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation is based out of Bloomfield Connecticut. Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation helps people with vision loss. The dogs help people accomplish daily tasks they cannot do. Some of these tasks include walking so they do not walk into things and making sure that the person stops when approaching a busy intersection, and crosses when safe to do so. German Shepards are the breed of dog they use. The company breeds German shepherds for them to grow up into Fidelco guide dogs. German Shepard’s have the natural characteristics of an ideal working dog intelligence, temperament, stamina and stability. To get a Fidelco dog you need to have a declaration of blindness, also you need to do a training class within your town with a white cane and know the street intersections. After meeting the criteria to get a dog you must train with a dog for two to three weeks. During this time the client learns how to use their dogs in their home and community.

Another company that involves service dogs is Assistance Dog Unlimited. This organization is nonprofit and is based out of Rocky Hill Connecticut. This company rescues primarilyLabradors and trains them to assist people with physical disabilities who are in wheel chairs. The dogs help people achieve independence, confidence and companionship. The tasks that these dogs do on an everyday basis are the same as most humans. They open doors, push elevator buttons, answer phones, and even do laundry. The most important thing they do is save lives. My family friend is in a wheel chair and her previous service dog saved her life three times. One time she was sitting on the end of her bed and she fell because she does not have good balance, she could not breathe because she went into respiratory failure. Her dog opened the door and went outside to where her husband was mowing the lawn and was barking continuously until he went to check on her and find her on her back not able to breathe. The training for Assistance Dogs Unlimited takes six months to one year. Training takes place in most common places house, work, and restaurants. They train in so many different places because they need to get use to the surroundings in different places and still be able to complete the task given to them. The absolute last test the dog undergoes is with the potential client at the mall. During this test they will be tested on everyday tasks that they will need to do to help their new owner.

Service dogs are used for many other medical purposes. A person could have a service dog for diabetes. These dogs are scent trained to know the chemical changes in blood sugar in order to alert the person before the onset of low blood sugar. Also people who have MS or multiple sclerosis can have a service dog for balance purposes. These dogs can sense when a person is tired and encourage them to take a rest by guiding them towards a chair. There are even dogs that are trained to detect the distinct smell of cancer that a person omits when cancer cells are present. Lastly there are service dogs that are with people who have epilepsy. They sometimes alert people when they are about to have a seizure.

There are many Service dog companies out there ranging from seeing guide dogs to sensing that they have cancer. Many people have no idea about these companies only the people who have a disability and are looking for a service dog. There are numerous service dog companies in Connecticut. Fidelco and Assistance Dogs Unlimited have different breeds of dogs they use because they feel that the characteristics of that breed suits their organization better than any other breed. When it comes to other diseases different breeds might be used for different diseases, and that is because of the characteristics needed for the specific tasks that the dogs will face on a daily basis. Whatever the job that is being done or the disability the person has there is always a helping paw.