About Service Dogs
Service Dogs are specially trained dogs that assist people with physical disabilities, as opposed to guide dogs (which help the visually impaired) and hearing dogs (which help the hearing impaired).
Service Dogs may be trained to pull a wheelchair, turn light switches on or off, help pull doors open, retrieve dropped articles, provide stability while the owner transfers from the wheelchair to a car, open and close drawers, or other tasks specific to the owner's unique needs and situation.
Our program uses primarily Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. However, we do have 3 Labradoodles currently in our program. All the dogs in the program are donated by reputable breeders. In exceptional cases, Therapetics will also accept young dogs that no longer fit in a family's household or dogs that have been rescued from shelters.
After passing all of the physical and behavioral tests, the training program generally takes between 18 months and 2 years for the dog. The new owner will also be required to come and train with their new partner for 100 hours of individualized instruction.
Dogs can usually start their training when they are puppies with their puppy parents and formal training when they are about nine months into the program.
The working life of a Service Dog is about eight years; from two years old to ten years old. This, of course, depends on how they are used and how their health is. They are then retired with their owner or puppy parent.
Lots of different kinds of people use Service Dogs... People with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Paraplegia, Quadriplegia, Arthritis, and many others. They might need to use a manual wheelchair or an electric one. They may not need a wheelchair, but need the dog to help give them balance.
Click Here to see the dogs Therapetics currently has in training.