Did you know that a service dog isn’t only beneficial to those with physical disabilities? Service and therapy dogs come with plenty of benefits for those with either physical or mental disabilities. If you suffer from any type of disability, you could benefit from owning a service or therapy dog.
Depending on what kind of disability you have, you’ll need your service or therapy dog to be trained for specific tasks. Because of this, these dogs go through training for specialized disability care, behavior requirements, and how to behave in different social situations. Not only will a service dog help you manage your disability, but it’ll also help you improve all aspects of your life.
Not sure if a service or therapy dog is the right fit for you? Continue reading below for a list of several key benefits of owning a service dog!
1. Anxiety Relief
Many people who suffer from a disability also suffer from some form of anxiety. Anxiety is just one of the side effects of having a disability, but it can be a difficult one to live with. Even those who don’t have physical disabilities can still suffer from anxiety.
Owning a service or therapy dog is a good way to relieve anxiety. There is evidence that petting a dog relieves stress and releases endorphins. Having a calm dog by your side will help ease any anxiety you have whether it’s due to everyday life or due to a chronic illness.
2. Wheelchair Assistance
If your wheelchair restricted, then you know what challenges you face every day. Although you’ve overcome many hurdles and can now get around just like anyone else, there are still sometimes when a bit of assistance would be helpful. However, not everyone enjoys asking people or strangers for help in completing every-day activities.
This is where a service dog would come into play. These dogs can be trained to help those restricted to a wheelchair get around. This could be helping him or her up a ramp or pulling them onto a sidewalk from the grass.
These dogs can also be trained to help those in wheelchairs get in and out of the chair. Although you’ve found your independence, you might begin to enjoy having a service or therapy dog around to help you out when alone or when you simply don’t feel like having to ask someone for help.
3. Senses Medical Conditions
Service dogs are great for helping people with disabilities get around such as those in wheelchairs or visually-impaired people. However, your dog can do so much more than help people move around. Some service or therapy dogs are even trained to sense medical conditions.
For example, people with epilepsy can benefit from a service dog because the dog will be able to sense when a seizure is coming. The dog will signal either to the person or to the person’s partner that a seizure is on its way. There are several different ways that a service dog can signal to its owner such as pawing, laying its head on the owner, or pacing.
A person can then find a safe place to get to before the seizure begins. A service dog will lie down next to his or her owner while the owner is having a seizure. If more medical attention is needed after the seizure is over, the dog will seek help.
4. Independence
Do you suffer a feeling of lack of independence?
If you have a disability that prevents you from doing activities on your own, you may begin to feel as though you’ve lost your independence. Even if you have several friends or family members there to help you whenever it’s needed, you may not want to always ask for their help. Let’s face it, there are some things that we just don’t want help with.
Luckily, service or therapy dogs can be trained to do many different tasks such as carrying items, opening doors, and so much more.
Relying on other humans to do these things for you can become tiring or aggravating over time. But seeking the help of your dog will help you feel independent again. Your dog is trained to do all of these tasks for you and is there by your side at any given time.
This is what he or she is trained to do and will always be happy to help you when in need. You and your service or therapy dog will become a team, and you’ll begin to rely on others less and less.
5. Social-Settings Confidence
When living with a disability, it can sometimes become hard to maintain a healthy social life. The best emotional support dogs help you build confidence in social settings. Although strangers cannot interact with your service dog, because he or she will always be on duty while out, it’s still a great conversation starter.
You’ll begin to notice that more people tend to stop and want to talk to you about your dog. Having your service or therapy dog also helps you feel more relaxed and comfortable while out in social settings. Your family members will also feel more relaxed and comfortable knowing that you have someone by your side at all times to help, alleviating some of the stress that they may feel.
A Service Dog Might be Just What You Need!
If you live with a mental or physical disability, you could benefit from a service dog. Keep all of these benefits in mind when determining if a service dog is right for you.
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