THE HISTORY OF SERVICE DOGS

Have you ever wondered about the first service dogs? Who trained them and what types of tasks did they perform? Were dogs considered “family members” as they are today? Or were they nothing more than tools? We thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at the history of service dogs and how their roles evolved over time.

Nobody knows exactly when dogs and humans first forged their inseparable bonds. The oldest dog ever found was a perfectly preserved puppy found frozen in the permafrost in the Far East. Scientists estimate its age to be about 12000 years old.

We know that Ancient Egyptians kept both cats and dogs and valued them enough to take them along into the afterlife. Dog mummies have been found from as early as the sixth century B.C. and in Peru, a burial place dating back to 900 A.D. holds individual plots for both dogs and their owners.

The evidence is strong that dogs have played an important role in men’s lives for a very long time.

When, though, did dogs first begin to help those with disabilities?

One of the first known references to service dogs is found in Ancient Rome. Frescoes depict blind men being led by dogs and Ancient Chinese scrolls talk of the same.

In America, one of the first well-known seeing eye dogs made history in 1928. Buddy and his blind owner, Morris Frank, publicly demonstrated how his dog could guide the visually impaired by having him navigate a busy New York intersection. Since then, guide dogs have been publicly accepted and sought for those with vision problems.

It wasn’t until the 1960’s that service dogs for those other than the blind began to be trained and recognized. For the hearing impaired, dogs could signal a crying baby, a telephone, or the sound of sirens.

As time went on, dogs became companions for autistic children and soldiers suffering PTSD. Today, a service dog can be trained for all manner of tasks.

• Recognizing the onset of seizures.

• Notification of blood sugar issues.

• Stability and many others.

But, the role of the modern service dog wasn’t really defined until the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. That particular law was written to prohibit discrimination based on disabilities, but it also defined the rights of service dogs.

The ADA defines service dogs (or animals) as being TRAINED to perform tasks for a person with disabilities. They are not just companions, though they also fill that role. Service dogs are caregivers, nurses, and assistants.

Today, the role of “service dog” has broadened to the point that new laws are required. Whereas it was once understood, that a service dog was trained to execute a specific task, people will now try to take untrained animals into public access areas. These dogs are often for emotional support as opposed to being trained to perform physical tasks.

For those who have invested time and money in their trained? service dogs, this can present a source of frustration.

For anyone wanting more information on how to acquire a trained service dog or how you can train your own dog to become one, please feel free to contact us.

White Mountain College for Pets

(603) 536-4219 www.collegeforpets.com office@collegeforpets.com

Paws for Purple Hearts improves the lives of America’s Warriors (Veterans and active-duty service members) facing mobility challenges and trauma-related conditions such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by providing the highest quality assistance dogs and canine-assisted therapeutic programs; and by building public awareness about the important role dogs play in helping Warriors along the road to recovery.

At Paws for Purple Hearts, we train and place two different types of assistance dogs. Facility Dogs can be found in a VA, DOD, or similar office visiting Veterans to bring joy throughout a facility. They bring happiness and essential assistance to Veterans, enriching their lives and promoting greater independence. Service Dogs are trained specifically for a Warrior in-need. They provide crucial support and aid to those who require their unique skills and companionship.

We provide our dogs to Warrior recipients and their families, free of charge. This provides immediate and significant financial relief to the Warrior and to their Military Caregivers, as they are not burdened with bearing the cost of our Service Dogs in order to benefit from the services and companionship gained. This is a significant benefit given that it takes about $35,000 to raise a top-tier Service Dog. Our Service Dogs are also involved in programs throughout their training that help more Veterans other than the ones they are being placed with.

Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® is a unique therapeutic intervention. This Program focuses on creating opportunities for positive meaningful interaction with our service dogs in-training. Guided by our highly experienced Program Instructors, in partnership with professional therapists, Warriors get the chance to reinforce commands and behaviors that are vital for a service-dog-in-training. They regain a sense of purpose in accomplishing a critical mission - training a life-long service companion for another comrade. Through this program, each dog will positively impact the lives of 40 – 60 Warriors.

Our Service Dogs learn over 110 commands making them more than capable of serving the most demanding category of mobility impaired Warrior, a quadriplegiclevel patient. This provides the Military Caregiver dramatic respite and logistical relief because our dogs can carry out many routine, repetitive and physically demanding tasks that would otherwise have to be accomplished by the caregiver, including picking up dropped objects, retrieving items, opening refrigerator doors, assisting with undressing, switching lights and other devices on and off, opening and closing doors, providing assistance moving to and from wheelchairs, etc.

Social Therapy uses the unique skills of our Service Dogs in-training to bring comfort and joy while reducing stress in the lives of America’s heroes. Versions of these programs are developed for both Veterans and active-duty service members. Our trainers and dogs will travel directly to our Warriors for this therapy or we host it directly at our sites. This interaction is also very imperative to our dog’s training, as this helps them learn positive interactions and gets them comfortable with meeting new people.

In 2004, Rosa Perez and her three children were stationed on a military base in Hawaii while her husband, Carlos, was fighting in Iraq. He had always dreamed of serving his country and embraced life with joy. As a first-generation American, he was so grateful for all the opportunities our country provides and wanted to give back. After re-upping his enlistment in the Army after 9/11, Carlos was in a convoy outside of Kirkuk, Iraq when an IED went off right under his Humvee. Returning home and burdened with severe PTSD, Carlos was struggling to find peace.

“The journey of Paws for Purple Hearts has grown beyond our wildest dreams,” says Selah M., Senior Program Instructor. “The more we’ve grown, the more Veterans we can help, and that’s the most fulfilling part of our mission. Our dedication and passion continue to drive us forward, knowing that our larger reach allows us to make a difference in the lives of America’s Warriors.”

The dedication and loyalty of our community and supporters keeps Paws for Purple Hearts growing in the right direction. You can find out how to get involved by volunteering or donating on our website, pawsforpurplehearts.org. Together, we can further their mission and positively impact the lives of Veterans and Service Members in need.

After years of suffering, hope appeared when Rosa heard about Paws for Purple Hearts psychiatric Service Dogs that could help people cope with PTSD. When hearing of how badly Carlos was suffering from PTSD, Paws for Purple Hearts told him to come out to San Diego and meet some of the dogs. He was immediately drawn to Service Dog Liberty right away, and the Golden Lab somehow sensed his pain and became the perfect companion to help him heal. With Liberty’s support, Carlos found solace, and his family saw a remarkable transformation. While we can never repay injured Warriors for their extraordinary sacrifices, we can show our gratitude by giving them the crucial support they need.

In the span of the last five years, Paws for Purple Hearts San Diego has made incredible strides in delivering invaluable services to the community. Through their dedicated efforts, they have successfully conducted 1,900 hours of therapy, directly benefiting 219 Veterans and Service Members. What initially began as a modest Service Dog training program run by two instructors out of their homes has now blossomed into a 10,000+ square foot facility providing therapy programs and assistance dogs for wounded Veterans.

Paws for Purple Hearts started as a research program at the prestigious Bergin College of Canine Studies. Together with the Menlo Park VA Medical Center, Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® was founded, and our lifelong mission began. With continued success, we established as an independent nonprofit recognized on June 29th, 2011.

We are proud to celebrate 12 years of improving the lives of our Veterans and Active Duty Service Members facing mobility challenges and traumarelated conditions. Today, Paws for Purple Hearts has expanded to six facilities across the US, deployed 159 dogs, and directly improved the lives of 11,000 Warriors.

For more information or to donate please visit https://pawsforpurplehearts.org/

By: Kyrié Bloem, Cofounder, Shelter to Soldier

Women led and women strong, the Shelter to Soldier team of four dog trainers, along with four psychiatric service dogs in training, recently traveled across the United States to attend the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans (ASDPMV) National Conference in Washington, D.C. Together, they attended classes on service dog legislation, training for veterans, donor and sponsor relations, and task training for psychiatric service dogs, among other topics. The conference featured roundtable discussions about various benchmarks in the service dogs for military veterans’ space, while providing the opportunity to network with over twenty different service dog organizations from around the US.

Shelter to Soldier Director of Training and Operations, Nicky Moore, shares, “The Shelter to Soldier team was honored to network with other organizations from around the country focused on the common goal of providing the highest standard of service dogs to our veterans. The collective knowledge shared amongst so many passionate individuals will surely prove to be invaluable in the mission to save more veterans and dogs.”

Graham Bloem, Cofounder and President, believes continued education “keeps our team and our program at the forefront of our industry, allowing us to continue to make the deepest impact in the lives of the veterans and dogs we are committed to support.”

For the dogs, it was an early ‘Dog Days of Summer’ vacation, with roundtrip flights from San Diego International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport over the course of four days. Beyond gaining the valuable flight experience that will prepare them for service dog life with their veteran recipients, service dogs Dante - sponsored by The Boeing Company, and Murphy – sponsored by UNITE Hair, Libby – sponsored by Karen and Jeff Shabel, and Oliver – sponsored by the David C. Copley Foundation, had the opportunity to encounter many new friends along their journey. Their tails wagging, confident demeanors and obedient behavior prompted many smiles from fellow passengers and travelers.

Sponsored by donors Karen and Jeff Shabel, dog lovers and philanthropists, and inspired by the Shelter to Soldier training team’s commitment to continued education, the voyage to Washington D. C. was equally a successful human training course and a successful public access training week master class. The four Shelter to Soldier service dog candidates attended daily conference classes tucked politely under their trainer’s chairs. After a day of learning, they took to the town in their service dog booties (shoes), visiting the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, The White House, and World War II Memorial. The dogs gained the support of worldwide travelers and inspired many veterans and service members to seek help during their time of need. The mission of “Saving Lives, Two at a Time” was modeled by our four-legged recruits who themselves have troubled pasts, at times touched by trauma, and who have been granted a greater purpose and brighter futures ahead after their adoption into the Shelter to Soldier program. Their own commitment to training, growth, and service a testament to their impact.

Shelter to Soldier is a CA 501c3 nonprofit organization that adopts dogs from local shelters and rescue organizations and trains them to become psychiatric service dogs for post-9/11 veterans suffering from PostTraumatic Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and/or Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The program also places emotional support animals (ESAs) with active-duty military and veterans, and deploys the Shelter to Soldier Canine Ambassadors, a team of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers to provide visits of love and comfort to local military, veterans, and their families. Veterans are provided service dogs through the Shelter to Soldier program free of charge thanks to the support of the community, individual donations and grants that make a life-saving difference for those served by the mission. Shelter to Soldier is pending accreditation with ASDPMV. https://www.sheltertosoldier.org.

To learn more about veteran-support services provided by STS, call 760-870-5338 or email veteranservices@sheltertosoldier.org for a confidential interview regarding eligibility.

Members of the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 177th Fighter Wing and 108th Wing, pet Cole, a therapy dog at the Vineland Veterans Memorial Home in Vinewood, N.J., May 22, 2020. Cole is deployed to the home to assist staff in caring for the residents during the COVID-19 crisis.