Say What? What about dogs as Service Dogs and pets?

I’m at my desk thinking about my blog topic for today; and, as I look down at my beloved Golden Retriever, Griffie, curled up under my desk, I’ve identified my topic. He was formally trained as a guide dog by Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, and even graduated from their program. Then he was assigned to a sight-impaired individual, to begin his career when he suddenly developed chronic bilateral eye infections and was immediately retired before he even got started. It was undoubtedly a great loss to the individual who spent months training him as a guide dog.

But, it was our good fortune to be in the right place at the right time and have the opportunity to adopt this loving boy from Guide Dogs. Griffie, now ten, is extremely smart, and has been a treasured member of our family for the past eight years. We have reaped all the benefits of his professional training especially since he does not bark, and only relieves himself on demand. What really amazes us most, though, is how he seems to sense his “responsibility” when our granddaughter Aimee is visiting.

He immediately positions himself at the left side of her chair and stays close by during her entire visit. I should say, though, that part of this is that she might drop a crumb of food which he will happily gobble up in an instant. He sleeps by her bed (sometimes on her bed) and walks at the side of her chair everywhere in the house, even if it means tripping over him to make a tight turn or navigate a narrow hallway.

I’m especially touched when we are out walking in public where he remains at attention by her side, proudly doing the job he was trained to do long ago, even though it is not expected of him.

Dogs, in particular, whether trained as a service dogs or not, can provide assistance in many ways---not the least of which is unconditional love and companionship especially to those with disabilities and special needs.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Disability Rights Section, describes service animals as follows: “Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities—such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets.”

I’ll be writing more about Service Dogs in future blogs. Right now I would love to hear from you what your pet means to you.

Best,
Julie