What even is an Assistance Dog?

I'm an Assistance Dog! Now a special for education from me, Monk!

A wise young Monk once said:

"Assistance Dog is an umbrella term for a dog that mitigates a person's disability or health condition. Most have been trained (formally or informally) or perform behaviours to do this."

Us Assistance Dogs are amazing. For some of us, it comes naturally and there are others who are trained into service but at the end of the day, we function as Auxiliary Aids. This is a tool or an allowance to help a disabled person or person with a health condition to access everyday activities and day-to-day self-care like other able-bodied people. Items like wheelchairs, canes, printed Braille, hearing aids and even those cool car ramps.

Unlike a lot of these aids though we help hounds can be often a lot more versatile, that being said even we have limits and needs that should be respected.

Here are just a few areas in which some Assistance dogs work:

• Guide dogs

• Medical Alert dogs

• Hearing dogs

• Mobility dogs

• Allergy detection dogs

• Autism/ADHD assistance dogs

• Psychiatric assistance dogs

Some clever dogs (like me) are even considered Multi-Purpose as they encompass multiple tasks from two or more of the mentioned jobs. Not to howl my own tune but I work as a seizure alert, and mobility help. Until recently I also did guide work but it was decided by my handler Alison that it was asking too much since their sight was getting worse and they said that they wouldn't see me overworked and will help by using the white cane (the forbidden fetch stick).

How did I and others get such great jobs?

There are many routes we can take to become Assistance Dogs. Threw an organisation or charity ( like those found on the ADUK site), Owner trained (like me and a few of my friends from the ADC) or threw some knowledgeable private trainers. The end goal is a well-behaved dog in public and who assists its handler with any needs. Some of us grow up learning from mentors like me and my mentor bear, and then there are wonderful pups like Giles who is owner trained from scratch all by their owner, he started his training at months old learning to be a good boy and is now a year old he's already great with his medical alert and has given his handler confidence to manage their other conditions. Training works to our calendars (we learn differently just like you humans) but averages out at least 2 years before we are often considered "fully trained" but some dogs learn quickly.

Love a dog in Uniform?

"Most Assistance Dogs can be identified by vests, capes or harnesses, and some handlers may have booklets from organisations they are a part of but these are NOT legal requirements. All use of Assistance Dogs is protected by the Equality Act 2010 and by law considered auxiliary aids. Because the Act protects our handlers we are simply there to help."

Are Assistance Dogs everyone Bowl of water?

As a hard-working dog, I agree with my handler when they advise people to want an assistance dog of their own. Check into all your options for better health. You may be reading this thinking you have weighed your options but everyone is unique and has different needs. Here are a few pros and cons of having one of us fine canines:

Pros	Cons
Multiple Medical Conditions can be covered. If you suffer from lots of health conditions assistance dogs can be a lifesaver. Conditions may feed into each other and, if not constantly corrected, can cause each other to worsen or improve. Individual dogs can be trained to be alert to signs of your health worsening and help you manage better.	Costs. The expense of keeping a dog fit and healthy. Vet checks, vaccinations, and worming. Food, Training, and Insurance can be costly. Even if you choose a program-trained dog, equipment is also a factor. Time is also an expense to be tallied. Your dog will need walks, breaks and play time too!
You may not need as much Medication No matter what your disability is, I'm sure you want to be on less medication. Due to the early warning system, these Assistance Dogs can provide, you may be able to do just that! Assistance Dog users report being happier and feeling safer. As a result, many conditions get less severe as you learn to manage them. Always work with a health professional.	Access Problems When you go out with your dog you may run into access problems. This is something advocates like my handler Alison are working on, but currently, there are potential problems.
Independence Assistance Dog users feel safe and cared for. They find that they can live on their own and take care of themselves. Assistance Dogs offer them the companionship and medical help they need to live fuller lives. Assistance Dogs give you that psychological boost you might need. Return the fun to your life. Get you out of the house for exercise.	​You become a celebrity. Attention everywhere you go. You'd be surprised at the amount of attention you will get! This can be a good thing to boost your morale but it can also be negative. If you starting to feel ill and you'd rather go somewhere quiet, strangers who don't know any better can make you feel worse. It often feels like I've got a spotlight trained on me with Paparazzi at my heels! New Things can Be Distracting, Strangers may try and get your dog's attention or touch them. The dogs need to know how to ignore these people so they can focus on you. They need to adapt to new situations, places and environments as well. Constant training, by you or your trainer, is generally needed to keep the dogs happy and focused.

Final thoughts about what is an assistance dog?

Assistance Dogs are not Robots! Us mutts have our own minds and personalities. For a partnership to work you must work together and trust your dog. Your dog may have an off day or even need a day off! It happens we are not perfect even though in a loving and fair partnership we try.

Help Hounds are amazing and if you are even feeling a little more worldly-wise about assistance dogs then I've been a good boy! this only just scratches the surface about Assistance Dogs and I'm hoping to go deep in another blog to talk about things like help tasks or even Assistance Dog etiquette in the future. But after a hard day's work, I get to relax a little with my emotional support Unicorns.