by Floro Mercene
A dog is known as “man’s best friend”. Dogs have held jobs for centuries. These working canines certainly deserve recognition. Here are some examples.
A medical alert assistance dog is trained to help people with life-threatening health conditions, detect changes in its owner’s condition, alert them to those changes, retrieve a medical kit and get help when needed. It’s not surprising that these dogs and their owners become very much attached. The dogs are taught to identify the odour changes that are associated with life-threatening medical events. The majority of Medical Alert Assistance Dogs work with people with diabetes.
One owner of a dog who experienced a seizure-like episode recalled that his blood sugar dropped to a level at which he couldn’t move, putting him in danger of further hypoglycemia. Recognizing the situation, his service dog immediately went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, found a juice box and brought it to him. He credits his dog with saving his life that night.
A mobility assistance dog is a service dog trained to assist a physically disabled person. Picking up a dropped item, opening a door, maneuvering a wheelchair and other tasks can be nearly impossible for people with disabilities.
A woman who became light-headed one day and fell and hit her head, the woman had her dog Aragon go get her phone, allowing her to call for help before passing out. The ER doctor said she might have bled to death, had it not been for Aragon.
A therapy dog is a certified comforter, providing a calming presence to individuals in hospitals, nursing homes and in other stressful situations. A patient who hadn’t responded to any stimulus showed signs of reactions when he petted a German shepherd that sat next to him on the bed. Researchers say that anxiety levels of patients are greatly reduced after even brief interactions with a dog prior to procedures.