Assistance Dogs: Animals that are more than pets

Assistance Dogs: Animals that are more than pets

We love our dogs as if they were our own children. Often those who don’t have pets might not understand this, but a dog is just as important as any other family member. It’s common knowledge that dogs evolved from wolves that wandered into human camps scavenging for food. From here it became clear that they could be trained not just as companions but also to help humans in their tasks. So where are they now?

Military

The military uses a variety of breeds to help them in their protection efforts. From your traditional frontline dogs like Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd and the German Shepherd to Labradors and Retrievers and even Jack Russesls. They’re trained in everything from bomb, weapon and drug detection because of their incredible senses to tracking and attacking enemies. These dogs become part of the team which is family. There have been many happy endings of soldiers looking after their retired companions who helped keep them safe.

Police

Similar to the military, police dogs are using their incredible senses to find missing people, evidence in crimes, hidden drugs and bringing down fleeing suspects. They also use similar breeds like the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd and Retrievers. They see frontline work in maintaining crowd control and have been an asset since the 1880’s.

Guide Dogs

Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond began the charity Guide Dogs in 1931. The first 4 dogs were trained in a garage but their help to those with sight difficulties brought hopeful independence and still does today. The charity has changed over 36,000 lives since this date. The use of dogs to help those with sight disabilities can be seen on murals dating back to the first century AD but formal training for their helpfulness didn’t start until 1700 AD. Now across the globe, dogs are trained to aid thousands of people, helping them to maintain their independence and have valuable companionship. 

Bio-Detection

Medical alert dogs help those who have complex health conditions identifying when they might be about to have a health emergency so they can take preventative action. This includes people with diabetes, PoTS, severe allergies and many other health conditions. Medically dogs are also being trained in bio-detection. 2014 research showed that their acute sense of smell could detect minute traces of odour from diseases. Current groundbreaking research is being completed on training dogs to detect cancer, bacterias, malaria and neurological diseases. Medical advances are taking rapid shape and with the help of dogs, fewer people could experience invasive treatments and live longer and healthier lives.

Those who own dogs know what great bond can be created between owner and pet. Similarly in some of the most dangerous environments, dogs and handlers have formed companionships that last a lifetime. With the advance in new research, dogs are continuing to help prevent and detect harmful things which change our safety in the world. Dogs truly are, a man’s best friend!