When it comes to training service dogs for our recipients at Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, we only choose the best, which is why we work mainly with German Shepherds.
This breed is highly intelligent and has an extremely sophisticated sense of smell, also known as an olfactory system, which they rely on heavily to complete many of their tasks for their recipient. They also love being with their person and having a job, making them a great choice as a working dog for our recipients. (more…)
Service dogs provide invaluable support for people with disabilities and are specially trained to provide support and function to the recipient. Service dogs are not considered pets but rather more like medical equipment, such as a wheelchair or oxygen tank. They are federally protected, meaning they have public access that pets do not, thus allowing them to accompany their recipient virtually anywhere they need to go. (more…)
Whether you have a pet or service dog, keeping them safe when swimming, boating, or playing around bodies of water is your top priority. Without taking proper safety precautions, your pet or service dog can become injured or drown while out on the water, so it is important to have training and safety measures in place to keep them safe. (more…)
Brian Kellum served a more than 15-year career in law enforcement, where he faced danger and worked hard to catch criminals guilty of heinous crimes. “I spent several years in law enforcement, have been through three sniper schools, all more advanced than the first one, worked as a Private Military Contractor serving as a Designated Defensive Marksman and Sniper overseas, as well as on a Human Trafficking Taskforce,” Brian said. (more…)
Tucker Whetstone, Trainer and IT Assistant at Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, uses his passion for animals and his technical knowledge and abilities to further our mission of helping veterans in need! (more…)
June 3, 2023: McMurray, PA (EIN Presswire) – Everyone at VFW Post 764 goes all in to help their fellow veterans. Each year, they host a number of fundraising activities that culminates in one awe-inspiring day, featuring a final fundraising event and motorcycle run.
As part of the day’s festivities, more than 80 motorcycles took part in the motorcycle run, 5 incredible bands took the stage including: Two Wolfe Moon, TFOG, Jasperillo, J Craiger and Shady Mugs. The all-day event also featured 50/50 raffles, food, drink, and an amazing penny auction.
Guardian Angel Ambassador and volunteer, Bri Hall said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who came out and participated, donated and made the day so special.”
The funds raised will be donated to Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, who rescue, raise, train, and then donate individually trained medical service dogs to veterans and others who are struggling with permanent disabilities. Guardian Angels is also working to bring a state-of-the-art Service Dog Training facility to Washington County, PA.
Asked about the fundraiser, Guardian Angels Founder & CEO, Carol Borden said: “It’s incredible – simply incredible what a small group of passionate individuals can accomplish to change and save lives. We’re so thankful to everyone involved in this effort, and we’re looking forward to next year already!”
This year, the McMurray VFW 764 team raised enough to cover the costs of training and pairing three future Service Dogs for veterans on the waiting list.
On June 23, 2023, Guardian Angels CAO, Sylee Gibson and Founder and CEO, Carol Borden traveled to VFW Post #764 with future Service Dog, Bucco to receive the donations raised.
About Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs:
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a 501(C)3 Based in Florida that rescues, raises, trains and then donates individually trained medical service dogs to veterans, first-responders and others who suffer from disabilities including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, seizure and diabetic disorders, mobility issues and much more. Over the past 13 years, Guardian Angels has paired more than 400 individually trained medical service dogs with recipients in 30 states, and with your help, that number can continue to grow. Visit their website at: www.MedicalServiceDogs.org to get involved or learn more.
About VFW Memorial Park Post 764:
The McMurray VFW Memorial Park Post #764 is led by Commander Brian “Top” DeLong, Sr. Vice Commander, Ted Kantner, and Jr. Vice Commander, Nick Demicheli. The post is located at 460 Valley Brook Road in McMurray, PA. This post offers many veteran services and is open to new members. Visit https://www.vfw764.org to learn more.
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While the ADA does not have specific rules for leaving your service dog at home, if you truly need a service dog, it is not recommended by Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs that a recipient leave home without him/her. Service dogs are protected under federal law and granted accommodation rights by businesses, allowing them to accompany their recipient everywhere they need to go that the public would normally be allowed to go.
Why Should I Avoid Leaving My Service Dog at Home
A service dog is intended to work for someone 24/7. While service dogs do sleep and take breaks, they are also very tuned into their recipient. To even qualify by law to have a service dog, you must have a disability for which the dog is trained to mitigate the challenges.
Therefore, if you have a permanent disability, those challenges can occur at anytime, anywhere. If you leave the service dog at home, they will not be able to assist you if you experience a medical event or other issue while in public.
There is also a very strong bond between a service dog and the recipient. The dog understands their job, so if you leave them at home, they often become very anxious and upset that they have been separated from their recipients, and that is an unhealthy state of mind for them. If you leave them behind regularly, the dog will decide that you do not need them to really work for you. If you become complacent in doing what is necessary to maintain this strong bond with the dog, they will become complacent as well.
If you only ask the dog to help you some of the time and not all the time, then the dog will not know when he is supposed to work and when he isn’t.
Making Lifestyle Changes for Your Service Dog
Disabilities such as seizures, diabetic changes, PTSD, mobility, and more can cause complications for recipients when they are in public at any given time. While there are instances where you may be tempted to leave them at home, you are placing yourself in a situation where you could experience an emergency and would be left without the assistance of the service dog.
When you get a service dog, it is sometimes necessary to make lifestyle changes. For example, if you enjoy riding motorcycles, you will have to give up riding since you cannot take your service dog with you. Another example would be if you like to go to the shooting range. It is not an appropriate place for a service dog because the gunshots are very loud, and they have not been adjusted to noise like that in most cases to where they’re comfortable with it. This can cause the dog to start having a negative experience which can materialize into behavioral issues and other problems you want to avoid. Concerts and clubs are another very loud environment that is not appropriate for a service dog.
Leaving your service dog at home to go enjoy these types of activities puts you at risk of having a seizure, diabetic high or low, PTSD episode, vertigo, etc., or can leave you with difficulty getting up from your seat or keeping your balance without any support from your service dog.
You cannot predict what things are going to happen while you’re away. If you leave the dog at home, you are gambling that you might be okay without your service dog, putting your health, safety, and life at risk. If you are comfortable going places and doing things without your service dog, then it may be the case that you do not require the assistance of a service dog.
How to Ensure Success with Your Service Dog
Service dogs are highly trained and do a wonderful job with their assigned tasks. To ensure the best performance and relationship possible, it is a 50/50 effort between you and your service dog. If you do not do what you are supposed to do with your service dog, then you will not have a proper working relationship with the dog.
Service dogs are trained to mitigate the challenges of a wide range of disabilities 24/7, so they should be always with the recipient, no matter the circumstances. This not only keeps the recipient safe but also provides the dog with the opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which they were trained.
Learn More About Service Dogs Today!
Visit the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog website today to learn more about how service dog organizations help those with permanent disabilities regain their independence!
For years, people thought that PTSD was an emotional issue. It has carried several different names throughout the generations, including Shellshock, Johnny Blues, Combat Fatigue, etc. Today, we know that this condition is known by the name of post-traumatic stress. (more…)
Blake Sowers, Kennel Master at Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs and US Army Veteran, joined the Guardian Angels team in July 2022. (more…)
Regis, a 100% medically retired Navy veteran, served for approximately 16 years. He has been married to his wife for almost 21 years and together they have five children. His oldest child joined the Navy when she graduated in 2016. Regis said he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, as well as his service dog Cheyenne, who he was paired with in 2016. (more…)
Service dogs can provide a wide range of support for people with PTSD. This condition impacts portions of the brain that regulate emotions and fear responses. It is characterized by high anxiety, panic attacks, brittle emotions, debilitating triggers, and re-experiencing traumatic events through flashbacks and/or night terrors. It is common in veterans and first responders but can be experienced by anyone who has suffered through a traumatic event or series of traumatic events. Symptoms of PTSD frequently lead to isolation and serious depression. (more…)
Playtime is especially important for dogs, just as it is for humans because it is a time of bonding, enrichment, relaxation, and there is no pressure. We have certain games that are good games and others that are not appropriate for service dogs.
Playtime Activities to Never Do with Your Service Dog
We never play tug of war with our service dogs. Instead, we always teach them to drop an item in our hand. Playing tug of war would be very counterproductive. We also don’t wrestle with the dog; some people like to get rough, wrestle, roll, and tumble which is also opposite of their training and inappropriate for many reasons.
We never want them to have that kind of contact with a disabled individual or jump on them at an inappropriate time because in a dog’s mind, if it’s okay sometimes, it should be okay all the time. We must be consistent in our behaviors and actions around our dogs.
Safe Exercises for Your Service Dog
A game enjoyed by many dogs is chasing a ball. When playing fetch, you want to make sure they bring it back to hand. When you play ball with your dog, never throw it up in the air. While they are tremendous athletes, and they love to play, they can suffer damage just like a football, basketball, or a pole vault player. When they jump up in the air and down again, they put high impact on their joints. They can tear a ligament or muscle just like an athlete.
Even if you don’t see an injury earlier in life, these are things that could cause complications later in the service dog’s geriatric life. So, throw the ball out straight, not up in the air. This way the dog can chase out directly for it instead reducing the chance of injury.
If your service dog doesn’t bring the ball back, then there are other lessons that need to go into the rules of that game. It’s just like playing any other kind of game. For example, if you’re playing Monopoly, there are certain rules. You roll the dice, there are so many spaces you can go to when you can collect, not collect, etc. So, just like there are rules to that type of a game, what you need to do is teach your dog the rules of our games.
For service dogs, we start very young because we turn these games into tasks later in life. Therefore, they enjoy their tasks. They think their tasks are a lot of fun because these are the games, we played to set their foundation.
If your dog doesn’t enjoy playing ball, then go for walks or practice their obedience training. Even though they might be stellar at doing all their basic obedience this is a wonderful time for bonding and great positive reinforcement with treats. Practice their sit, stay, down, recall and heeling while making sure it’s all a positive experience.
Every time they do something right, reward them right away. Dog’s think within the moment, so you need to capture behaviors by being quick with the reward.
If you want to get creative, you could set up little obstacle courses in your backyard, with different things for them to learn to do, like wobble tables and teeter-totters. You can also set up hay bales at different heights or set up tires for jumping through. There are a lot of different ways you can be creative. Just be sure that you don’t make anything dangerous. You would never want exercises that would risk their health or well-being by causing an injury.
Pay Attention to the Weather When Playing Outside with Your Service Dog
Recipients and dog owners need to be very cognizant of the temperature outside. Many dogs are very high energy with a lot of drive. They will continue to play ball until they drop over with a heat stroke. Dogs get hot much quicker than people; it’s harder for them to cool themselves. If it’s hot out, you need to play early in the day or late in the day and limit the activities. Even if the dog still wants to play, you might need to stop sooner for the dog’s well-being.
The same thing goes if it’s cold or freezing outside. You want to make sure their feet are protected since dogs can get frostbite just like people. Always be aware. Never walk them on hot pavement or blacktop. We’ve seen dogs with horrible burns on the bottom of their feet, and they can’t walk for days.
Also, if your dog is normally on grass and you’re going someplace to throw the ball, like a parking lot or a tennis court, it’s important to keep in mind that it can take all the protective layers off the pads of their feet. With this type of injury, they will be lame for days, and they will have bloody sores on the pads of their feet, which causes them serious pain to walk. Always be sure their feet are protected in these situations.
Have Additional Questions About Playtime for Your Service Dog? Contact us Today at MedicalServiceDogs.org!
Many people do not realize the difference between visible and invisible disabilities. As human beings, we are visual creatures. When we see someone walking with a cane, in a wheelchair, or with braces on their legs, we immediately realize that this person has a disability, and we can put that in terms that our mind understands. What we don’t see is the cashier ringing up your groceries who may have a very serious diabetic imbalance – a brittle diabetic that could suddenly collapse or become incoherent because you don’t see diabetes externally until something happens. (more…)
Jonathan Conover, MSW, LCSWA, is an Army Veteran who served for eleven years, with one deployment to Iraq and three to Afghanistan. He is now a Licensed Clinical Social Worker employed as an independently contracted outpatient therapist. (more…)
In honor of Administrative Professionals Week last week, Guardian Angels would like to feature Gwyneth Hiesinger, who works in the organization’s finance department. She assists the organization with a variety of tasks, such as tracking donations and the money that goes out of the organization. Gwyneth recently celebrated her one-year anniversary with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs in February. (more…)
