Dogs Can Be Life-Changing

Many different kinds of breeds of dogs can be a big help to people with disabilities.
[Source: http://familypet.com/golden-retrievers/]

Dogs. They are a comfortable presence to dog owners all over the world. It takes a lot of work to raise a dog as your own pet, but in the end, many people care about dogs as much as they care about themselves. Dog owners can have their dog(s) for a variety of reasons, whether it’s helping them get around the house or just for a sense of companionship. Keep in mind that there are many ways dogs can be helpful to humans and this article will only discuss a few of the purposes of these dogs.

One way dogs can be helpful to humans is by being a guide dog to owners who are blind. These dogs are also known as service dogs and are specially trained to help their blind owners get from one place to another in a safe manner. They must be focused at all times and never get distracted in situations of crossing a busy street or getting to another place.

Another purpose of dogs that is helpful to humans is their recognition of their owner’s blood sugar level. For example, if a dog owner has Type 1 Diabetes, their dog can literally sense if their owner’s level of blood sugar is dropping and will let the owner know by barking at them.This way, their owners can avoid medical help, if it occurs to them.

Military service dogs are trained to help veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loss of a limb or movement. These dogs can be trained to open and close doors, push wheelchairs, pick up items, and most importantly, recognizing a moment before a PTSD episode happens, if it occurs to them. The main goal of these dogs is to help their owner be able to do everyday things more easily again.

Dogs would need to be specially trained in order to help their disabled owner in performing everyday tasks.
[Source: http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog]

Lastly, there are dogs that are extremely helpful to owners who are deaf. Hearing dogs can lead their owners to the source of the sound or alert their owner of a noise within a place. The owners play a more significant role in this case because they need to pay attention to their dog if their dog is trying to alert them of something going on. The owners would need to do the same as their dog and be more aware of their surroundings.

Dogs are a big source of help to some owners because without them, owners with disabilities would not be able to do everyday things in life. Dogs can also reduce blood pressure, encourage their owners to be more active, and decrease feelings of loneliness. I have asked another JSR Reporter, Justin Kim, about his thoughts on the useful purpose of dogs. “It is fascinating to see that dogs are more than our companions. In the case of military dogs, they help protect soldiers from harm by sniffing out bombs. Dogs are much more than mammals; they are special companions who we make lasting bonds with.” With that being said, dogs have much more meaning in this world than just being a mammal. These certain dogs can literally forever change the lives of people around them.

Jennie Kim

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