News: Service Dogs for Kids

Today I came across two articles about service dogs for children:

• Colchester: Billy, the dog who helps Tilli hear
• Fort Lewis eighth-grader soon will welcome a new best friend

While I did not have a service dog as a child, it was the interaction between myself and one of the family dogs as a child that caused my mom and myself to think a service dog would be a great help to me as an adult on my own. See my earlier post How I chose to have a service dog. Even though I was a very responsible child, I was also very into myself and my own wants and needs. While, I could have benefited from the skills my service now provides. I can remember battles with my parents over who forgot, to walk the dog, feed it, shut the door (a causing the dogs to escape) and ect. I think the newness of a service dog, just like many new things can elicited temporary changes in children who want to show they can do it, however, service dogs can quickly become just beloved family pets if the training is not routinely used, and maintained. This maintenance training often eludes novice adult service dog handlers (now imagine how difficult it would be for children with school, friends, therapy, doctors, hobbies, scouts. ect). I found two articles detailing the pros and cons of service dogs for children:

• Considering a Therapy or Service Assistance Dog for Your Special Needs Child? Pros and Cons
• Service Dogs Aid People With Autism