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Service and Other Working Dogs |  |
| Dogs have been trained to perform specific tasks in partnership with people. Some assist people with disabilities. Others assist in law enforcement, agricultural or bomb sniffing, search and rescue, or war tasks. Significant investments of money and time are required for the specialized training and development of working partnerships with these dogs. As they forge working partnerships with their dogs, the handlers inevitably become emotionally bonded. Details of these working
relationships vary. Service dogs, after having several handlers in their early lives, typically spend all their waking hours with a single handler. Some working dogs may be kenneled in a facility when not working, whereas many police dogs live with the families of their handlers. |
| While every situation involving working dogs is somewhat unique, the dogs are extremely precious and valuable to the handlers. When a medical crisis arises with such a dog, the veterinarian will often be the closest professional at hand and may need to provide support to the handler as well as the animal. Treatments that adversely affect performance, especially for an extended period of time, disrupt functioning. If the client has a disability, special accommodation may be required
for communicating with and providing instructions to the client. Attentive listening and respect, while essential for all clients, assumes particular importance in these relationships. |
