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Service Dog or Emotional Support Dog? – Puerto Rico Metro

Broadcast United News Desk
Service Dog or Emotional Support Dog? – Puerto Rico Metro

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There is no doubt that dogs are the ultimate pets. But what happens when this loyal companion takes on a role beyond simple family companionship? When it becomes an assistant, a guide, or performs important tasks for its owner? Do you know the difference between a service dog, a therapy dog, and a companion pet?

Metro Salud spoke with dog trainer Cheryl DeLoach to clarify these differences and understand what rights their owners have and the obligations they must fulfill to achieve good coexistence.

The dog trainer clarified that any pet can provide emotional support, as it has been scientifically proven that interaction with animals releases chemicals in the brain that help calm a person and create a sense of well-being.

DeLoach, who provides training at the Caribbean Canine Academy, explains that when it comes to a service dog, it is an individually trained dog that works with a disabled person. This animal is trained to help people with various disabilities, such as blindness, hearing loss, autism or limited mobility. The training time varies depending on the specific task the dog must perform.

DeLoach explains that their services can also benefit people with mental illness or even diabetes. In these cases, the trained dogs are able to detect changes in their guardian’s body and prevent possible panic attacks, anxiety, and drops or spikes in blood sugar. “A lot of times the dog can sense that the person is about to have an anxiety attack because there’s a change in body odor. The body starts producing cortisol and the dog recognizes that,” he explains. “Another way is through involuntary movements, like shaking a leg or hand, which (the animal) prevents by giving signals to its guardian,” the trainer adds.

There are also so-called therapy dogs, which are trained to go to hospitals, children’s or nursing homes and schools. “Therapy dogs can make you feel better. The training they need is behavioral training, but they also have to have a good temperament to get along with people,” he said.

Experts say there is a lot of misinformation about the critical role service dogs play in improving their owners’ quality of life. This has led some to abuse the rights afforded to service dog owners under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), while some business owners have refused to allow properly trained animals to provide services to their guardians.

By law, agencies cannot require certification, but they can ask these two questions: Is it a service dog? Is it trained to help you? Likewise, he recalled, airlines only allow service dogs in the cabin and require their guardians to produce documents proving that the animal has been properly trained to perform assistance functions.

“Education is so important because there are a lot of people who want to pass off a dog as a service dog just because they want to take it everywhere. But there are also people who really need a service dog to have a better quality of life and to move on,” DeLoach lamented.

Some breeds used as service dogs:

Labrador Retriever (US and UK)

Golden Retriever

German Shepherd

Poodle

Boxer Briefs

Great Dane

Border Collie

Bernese Mountain Dog

Pomeranian

Portuguese Water Dog

Labrador

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