Applying for a Service Dog

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SERVICE DOG'S RESPONSE
Every service dog, no matter what it is trained for, is always doing a task to help a person. Having a loving friend and the emotional support are added benefits.

• Post traumatic Stress Disorder—PTSD dogs are trained to monitor the handler (service dog owner) and actually watch the handler's mood, behavior, and feelings; it can detect if the person indeed goes into an episode. Often if a person goes into a flashback, they essentially freeze and are no longer aware of reality while they are going through a flashback. The service dog can sense this and literally knocks the person back into reality. Most dogs bump the handler in the knees, but some push them in the chest, just to get the handler;s attention and bring them back from the flashback episode. Going into these flashbacks can be verydangerous, especially if it happens, for example, while crossing the street or if they are in a public place, unaware of their surroundings.

• Seizures—There are two types of seizure dogs, the more common one is a seizure response dog. When the handler has the onset of a seizure and is convulsing, the dog is trained to do a number of tasks. Depending on the criteria of the handler, these tasks can involve restraining the handler by holding them down to barking and seeking help. More often than not, if you see a service dog barking, that is an indication the handler is in need of medical attention. Seizure prediction is one of the newer areas for service dogs. It is a dog that has the natural ability to detect a seizure. The dog can detect a seizure between 5 to 20 minutes before the onset by sensing chemicals in the bloodstream that cause the seizure. It is very rare, and it is not an area that can be trained or taught; for that reason those dogs always start out as pets. For instance, the handler sees something change in the dog and they start noticing, "I have a seizure every time the dog does that." Once they make that connection, then the formal training can commence and teach the service dog appropriate behaviors, such as how to walk properly in public, while encouraging the dog to do its prediction.

• Diabetes—Some service dogs are able to detect glucose levels in the bloodstream, and are actually easier to train in this area since the dog is detecting glucose; usually through the person's ear canal since the eardrum is the thinnest membrane in the body, making it easier for the dog to smell the person's blood. Diabetic alert dogs are trained very similarly to the way one would train dogs for drugs; the dogs make a connection with the smell and the reward. Most diabetic service dogs are smaller breed dogs since they have to jump up on the handler.

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PREFERRED BREEDS OF SERVICE DOGS/UTILIZING LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTERS
With their generally friendly demeanor, intelligence, and adaptability in many situations, the Labrador Retriever is still the most popular AKC breed in the United States. SDFL also prefers Labs, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies and their mixes (Borador, Golden Labrador/Goldador, Labradoodle). These dogs are "naturally born to service" because of their energy, drive, and love. Border Collies are a little bit more intelligent, but they can counter a command (decide not to follow a handler's orders), so one has to be very confident and very strict with those dogs. Border Collies have a much higher energy level, however; whereas, Labradors simply do
not have the energy to go eight to nine hours without a periodic nap. Not all breeds can be a service dog. For example, you would not want a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog) being a guide dog or a mobility dog because it is just not sized for the task. Qualifying as a service dog is based on the dog's size and physical characteristics. Most of the service dogs at SDFL are obtained from the local shelters in Florida. The down side is that full medical histories of the dogs are not available, so there is a higher washout rate if there are medical issues. The positive side, of course, is that dogs lives are being saved and put to good use.
 
A washout is a dog that cannot make it through the program. For example, a dog may know basic commands and is able to pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Evaluator test{FN2} but will not walk on a leash. After spending months trying to get the dog to walk properly on a leash and heel, if the dog refuses to do it the dog will need to be washed out. Those dogs are usually adopted by a loving family.
 
TRAINING SERVICE DOGS
The average time to fully train a service dog is two years or 2,000 hours. Although, depending on what a person needs, it can be as short as a year or as much as three years. For example, some mobility dogs can be trained in as little as a year but a guide dog would need three years of training.
SDFL prefers to receive the dogs at three months old, or as young as possible; they prefer a blank slate on the dog's history. By starting with young puppies, SDFL can guarantee they know the dog's history. Then, should any issues develop, they can be remedied quickly. Whereas, older dogs may come with some bad habits already set in, such as a history of biting strangers or fear of people who wear hats. Those behaviors would have to be un-trained, which is not always possible, and the dog gets washed out. Just like humans, not every service dog can be trained in every area. For example, some dogs are natural hearing dogs because they are extremely alert. They hear a sound, they look in that direction and react; others could care less and ignore those same sounds. SDFL has to learn the dog's energy level and their curiosities. Another issue is that a trained service dog may not be focused enough to perform their job for a full day. For example, if the service dog can do its job for an hour a day, but cannot do it for eight hours, it gets washed out to become a therapy dog.

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SDFL provides disabled Florida Residents service dogs for:

• Mobility – Pick up items, pull wheelchair, open and close doors, assist in balance.

• Hearing – Alerts handler to specific sounds and take handler to them.

• PTSD – Assists in keeping a person grounded and trained to alert when mental state changes.

• Seizure Prediction – Train pets to be service dogs that already naturally detect handler's seizures and alert them before they occur.

• Seizure Response – Train a dog to respond to a seizure while it occurs by holding the handler down, getting help or barking to attract attention and help.

• Medical Alert – Train dogs for invisible conditions and to alert the handler.

• Diabetic Alert – Train dogs to detect high or low blood sugar levels and alert handler.

• Emotional Support Animal (ESA) – Train basic obedience of pet dogs for therapeutic use in

• housing.

• Owner-Trainer Assistance – Several disabled train their own service dogs and later needassistance. We are creating a program to offer support for individuals in this category. Classes, testing, guidance and trainer mentoring.

SDFL does not train therapy dogs for hospital use; many of our wash-outs, become therapy dogs. We also do not train guide dogs for the blind. There are other agencies that provide these specialized services.

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The process of obtaining a Service Dog

The Service Dogs industry is truly about charity, as most programs are non-profits struggling to provide an
expensive assistance option to the disabled. For veterans the VA only covers service dogs for the blind, and refers everyone
else to agencies, such as ours, to provide a trained dog and pickup the tab. (i.e. mobility, PTSD, hearing)
We invest nearly two years of training for each dog and provide them all free of charge while some programs have a
small fee. Most disabled have exhausted their means on medical treatments and usually near bankruptcy. It is only
through donations that our industry can keep a promise to serve the disabled while subsidizing the huge costs involved.

Quick Points

• Service Dogs are not just sitting on a shelf waiting to be bought. They have nearly 2,000 hours of dedicated training and at some point customized for a specific disabled person during their training.

• Service dogs have an expiration date, they train for 2 years and work for about 10 years.

• These dogs have high demands for quality food, routine vet visits and post graduate planning. The disabled handler must be able to afford at least $100 a month to cover the dogs expenses.

• The disable must be responsible enough and medically able to properly care for the animal for several years.

• Emergency medical plans should be in-place for both the handler and the dog should something happen. Should the handler become incapacitated a foster should be available to care for the dog. Emergency vet care is expensive but usually better than getting a replacement service dog, if the condition does not limit its work.

• The leading causes for early retirement: age/health, auto/pedestrian accidents, stray pet dog attacks.

• Service Dogs cost from $20k - $50k depending on the length of their training and function. Guide dogs usually train for 3 years, while most others train for 2 years. Some mobility, PTSD, and medical alert dogs can graduate as early as 18 months of age.

• Most programs start training of puppies at 3 months of age so the dog graduates around age 2. Older dogs that enter training (up to 1yr), usually have a shorter training period so graduate around the same age.

• Older dogs are occasionally trained but this reduces their 10yr working life and add some uncertainty about their past medical and behavior issues.

Service Dogs of Florida, Inc.
145 East Story Road
Winter Garden, FL 34787

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Client Timeline

• A person becomes disabled (i.e. physically, mentally or combination) (Day 0)

• They apply for a service animal from a number of agencies and placed on a waiting list (up to 7 years!)

• They complete their rehab and attempt to function, and accept their condition, as best they can while waiting on the numerous waiting lists.

• The schools usually have a number of dogs in training at different levels, at about the mid point they give them dog an aptitude test to determine which field the dog will go in to, hearing, guide, mobility, ptsd, seizure, allergy, etc. and begin matching applicants to specific dogs in their field.

• While the disabled client is on the waiting lists, the school will check up on their health to ensure they are not deteriorating beyond the use of the dog. The dogs are trained to last 10 years, it would be pointless to give a dog to someone who might expire or be unable to care for it within 3 years after graduation.

• When the dog has completed it's two years of training, the disabled client is invited to the training site for up to two weeks of training on how to use and care for the animal.

• At graduation the handler is usually tested with the dog to ensure it is following all of the requested commands.

• A follow-up test is usually given each year, to ensure obedience and review the health of the animal.

• Should the client have an extended hospital visit or is otherwise unable to care for the animal, the agency is contacted to foster the animal during their absense.

• After about 8 years of use, the dog is evaluated for retirement and a replacement dog starts it's training.

• When the replacement dog is ready, the handler has the option of keeping the old dog or having the agency re-home it for retirement (There is a long waiting list for retired dogs as they are well trained.)

• Should the handler pass, the agency will usually try to reassign the dog to another disabled individual, if there are several years of life left. Though some families have requested to keep the dog as a pet.

• The Application for a service dog will cover many topics, everything from health/disability to your living environment.

• It's important that the dog is sized properly for the individual and their living environment, a Great Dane mobility dog, might work great if your in a wheelchair, but might cause a problem in a small cramped apartment. Other questions on the application will cover family and emergency contacts who might be used if no foster can be located. Income and reserves will be asked to ensure you are financially able to properly care for the animal. You will be asked about your criminal record, if you have one, to ensure you are not a danger to the dog or others. In most states it's a felony to harm a service dog, which includes the public, the handler/client and trainers. Animal abuse arrests may disqualify a client.

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School Timeline

• A number of dogs are adopted or breed as service dog candidates. At two months a Volhard test is administered and used to reject non-conforming dogs, usually 80%. (We test before adoption) [Adoption Costs: $500-$1000 per dog]

• During Stage 1 the dogs are usually raised by several puppy-raiser families or middle stage trainers for 3-12 months. In our program the puppies switch families every 3-6 months, each family is a different environment, beach, farm, and city. [Costs: $100-$300/month for transport, equipment and food, $2000/yr]

• The dog is vetted every quarter for shots, xrays, routine checkups. Early medical rejection is key. [Vet Costs: $350/quarter, $1400/yr]

• Each quarter the dog undergoes temperament and behavior testing to reject bad behaviors or traits, up to 20% may be rejected and adopted out/sold as pets to recover their costs.

• Stage 2 is started when the dog reaches about 9 months of age and progresses to a point that it's very obedient and knows all the basic commands. The dog then visits public businesses, restaurants, retail stores for at least 600 hours of training. [Costs: $100-$300/month for transport, equipment and food, $2000/yr]

• Around age 1 the dog is paired with a professional Stage 3 trainer, usually paid staff, for up to 4 hours a day for intensive training, which covers basic obedience to complex ADA task training, like opening doors, retrieving objects and other assistance tasks directly for the disabled client. In our program we try to use volunteers as much as possible, as this is the largest cost for service dogs. [Costs: $2,000/mo, $24,000/year]

• When the dog is ready, a final vet checkup is given, along with xrays to ensure hip dysplasia is not a concern.

• The disabled client is invited for training, either at a local hotel or an on-site dorm. Upon graduation a gift/starter package is given which contains a crate, food, toys and the dogs final graduation vest. [Costs: $200-$3000]

• At graduation the client is tested with the dog to ensure obedience and function.

• Every year there after, the client comes back for retesting, to ensure the dog is still working properly and to observe any medical warning signs that might trigger early retirement.

• Should the handler become hospitalized or unable to care for the dog the agency will put the dog in foster care and usually cover the food, transport and minor expenses. [Costs: $150/month] An SD should never be put in a kennel or shelter.

• After 8 years, a replacement dog is started.

Stages
• Stage 1: Basic Obedience, age 0-9 months
• Stage 2: Public Access Training, age 9 months – 1 year
• Stage 3: ADA Task Training, age 1 year – 2 years.
• Post Graduate services: Cover emergency costs for fostering, vet and yearly follow-up training/testing
 

Donations: Many times different companies or individuals will donate to cover a specific stage for a dog, this way several beneficiaries, together, can underwrite the full cost of training a dog.

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