What is a Service Animal?

Service animals are used to help mitigate an individual’s disability. There are many different types of service animals, the following are just a few different categories; medical alert, psychiatric service dogs, and one the most well known, guide dogs. Let’s look into examples of each: Medical Alert; an example of this would be a diabetic alert dog. This dog is task trained to alert to low and high blood sugar levels of their handler. Psychiatric service dogs can perform an array of tasks for their handler including but not limited to, deep pressure therapy, crowd control, medical alert, and grounding just to name a few. Guide dogs- one of the most well known in the service dog community. These dogs become someone’s eyes and have one of the most important jobs in the service dog world. So what is the difference between all of the these service animals and your everyday pet?

These dogs are trained professionals. Service animals are task trained individuals to help mitigate their handlers disability or disease. They are held to the highest standard when in public. Service dogs hold their handlers life in their paws, all day everyday. Without fail these dogs step up to the plate again and again everyday, without complaint. Very few animals are up to this daunting life, but it makes the few that do make it, even more special.