Service dogs are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.

Service dogs can provide physical assistance, companionship, psychological, and social benefits. A person with a disability considering acquiring a service dog needs to educate themselves on the abilities and limitations of service dogs, assess their personal needs and the impact a dog can have on their lifestyle.

Over a two year period, a young dog in training needs to pass high standards of health, behavior, obedience and skill training in order to become a certified service dog.

Each dog in training learns specific tasks along with basic obedience and social skills. A service dog can open and close doors, retrieve, pull a manual wheelchair, find the phone, do bracing working, turn on and off switches and much more. Hearing dogs respond to different sounds which include knocking, doorbell, timer, alarm clock, smoke alarm, telephone, baby cry and the person’s name.