I’m sure you have heard of seeing eye dogs? Dogs that help people who are visually impaired get around safely.  But did you know that services dogs can be trained to do many different things? And there are many different breeds of dogs that can be trained to assist their human companions. Services these dogs can be trained for (from GUARDIAN ANGELS Medical Service Dogs, Inc.) include: 

• alerting for help
• alerting prior to a seizure
• alerting to a change in insulin
• opening/closing doors
• opening drawers and refrigerators
• picking up dropped items
• assisting with mobility issues
• mitigating the challenges of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• assisting the hearing impaired

I want to tell you about two very special little dogs I have the pleasure of working with. Midggie (pedigree  name: Madeline’s Midget) and Kleine (pedigree name: Einekleinewienerhund) are mother and daughter Dachshunds.

They are trained for friendliness and calmness by owner Laurence Barrett. Because of their dispositions, they are the perfect companions.  Midggie is also trained in seizure alerting. Midggie alerts to seizures by barking and licking about 15 minutes before a seizure event occurs. 

These wonderful little ladies are approved to visit 5 area hospitals. They see patients of all ages. From my pediatric patients at Providence, to war veterans at the VA Hospital they have touched many lives. They can be found riding down the hall on a cart pulled by their owner, Laurence Barrett. When they arrive at a patient’s room they hop off their cart, and on to the patient’s bed for personal visits. 

In my practice, I see the power therapy or service dogs have with patients. They transform hopelessness in to hope. They bring smiles to a child who has been through many difficult procedures. They have a way of decreasing anxiety in families dealing with stressful hospitalizations. Families can’t help but smile when they see a dog come in to their room. A dog is a safe companion. A dog will never poke them, give them bad news, or make them go through a difficult procedure. They are great huggers, bring a release of tension when their soft fur is pet, and give unconditional love. I joke that service dogs are good for hospital staff who have had stressful days too. One minute with a service dog and your can’t help but smile. 

Owner Laurence Barrett told me a story I want to share with all of you. A Marine at the VA Hospital was going through physical therapy. The Marine was learning to use his prosthetic arm to push his wheel chair. He had pretty much given up on his physical training. Laurence placed a dog treat on a table about 20 ft away from the Marine. Laurence then placed Midggie on the Marine’s lap. Midggie, seeing the dog treat, got so excited and began wagging her tail in the Marine’s face. Midggie wouldn’t stop looking longingly at the treat and wagging. The Marine began to laugh and melt.  Laurence then said, “soldier get that dog to her treat!” The Marine began pushing his chair. Twenty minutes later Midggie enjoyed her dog treat, because the Marine worked hard to go the full 20 feet. The staff at the VA stated, “that was the most cooperation and effort they had seen from the Marine in months.” This story goes to show that power of a service or companion dog. 

Support your local service dogs and training agencies. If you feel lead, train your own dog. The gifts these animals give are incredible.

In health,

Tara Arnold RN