Waiting for the Woof

Some of the very important tasks a service dog performs are in crisis situations. By the very fact that a person needs an assistance dog, the disabled partner can die in a crisis situation! A fire, a medical emergency is even more of an emergency for the disabled than for the “abled. “

CRISIS

• Bark for help on command – I will need this.  The way our house is constructed, if the Ol’ Curmudgeon is at one end of the house and I’m at the other end, there is no way we can hear each other! A bark is more piercing and louder than I can shout.
• Find the care-giver on command, lead back to location of disabled partner. Again, this is going to be important – especially when the Ol’ Curmudgeon is at work. My son and daughter-in-law live next door. We will train Woof to go next door to get my daughter-in-law or one of the grandsons if I need help. It may not be a 9-1-1 kind of emergency that I need them, but it will be very good to know that Woof can go get them in crisis or emergency situations.
• Put forepaws in lap of wheelchair user, hold that upright position so wheelchair user can access medication or cell phone or other items in the backpack. This is not a particular task I will need, but it can be a very important task for those who do.
• Wake up partner if smoke alarm or fire alarm goes off, assist to nearest exit. This is one that will make my children rest  more easily! So we will definitely train Woof to do this! There are three exits that are close, and Woof will have to decide which will be the best one given the circumstances. That judgement cannot be trained – it has to come from within.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TASKS (Samples)

• Operate push button device to call 911, an ambulance service or another person to help in a crisis; let emergency personnel into home and lead to partner’s location. This is a definite YES on the list of medical assistance tasks! In an earlier post, I showed a picture of the special crisis telephone made for assistance dogs to use and gave the link to the company that makes them. This task was among the top 5 tasks we listed for Woof to learn to do.  As it is not something he will have to do on a reglar basis, I will have to train him to do this on a regular basis so he will not lose the skill.
• Fetch insulin kit, respiratory assist device or medication from customary place during a medical crisis – not a task for us!! For some one with respiratory problems or with diabetes, this is a major task, however. For me, the major task is going to be finding and retrieving my cane, or the “Golden Retriever” – my reacher device without which I cannot function.
• Lie down on partner’s chest to produce a cough, enabling patient to breath, when suction machine and/or care-giver unavailable – nope, not a need for me! But, again, for someone with paralysis or breathing problems, this is a biggie. Isn’t it amazing what dogs can be trained to do?!

All of these things are among the amazing – yet basic – things that a service dog can do for a person. Why is it that they are so “unknown?!”