At Guardian Angels, while our Veterinary Care Department has always done a fabulous job taking care of our dogs and paired teams, we have now taken it to the next level. We are excited to introduce the Borden Veterinary Hospital located on our campus in Williston, FL. This on-site, non-profit hospital will oversee the care and provide for all medical needs of our dogs on campus. It will also provide oversight and guidance to all our teams across the country, as well as one-on-one care for our local teams for any of their medical needs. (more…)
Dr. Rogers joined the Guardian Angels’ team in May of 2022 as their veterinarian, and she is excited to be part of the many upcoming ideas and projects that Guardian Angels is developing. (more…)
A dog is both a predator and a scavenger, so when he smells a trash can full of goodies, the scavenger part of him kicks in. Your dog getting into the trash is not only inconvenient for you, but it can also be dangerous for your dog. At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, we’ve put together some tips on how to help you teach your dog to stay out of the trash and how to safeguard the trash in case they do get into it. (more…)
The 4th of July celebrates the freedom and independence that our veterans fight for, but for some of them, the holiday can be a very difficult day. Loud, sudden blasts and explosions that accompany fireworks can cause high anxiety, flashbacks and bring back strong, traumatic memories of war.
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When Guardian Angels goes into a shelter, we look for a medium to a large-sized dog because they have to be able to do various tasks, and a small dog is not size appropriate. A correct service dog needs to always have four on the floor to support its recipient, so a larger dog doesn’t get stepped on as easily in a crowd. (more…)
Nancy Dakin started working with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs in the fall of 2020. First as a volunteer, then as a full-time employee in December 2021. She most recently joined the Development Team in 2022 and splits her time as a dog trainer and development project administrator for Guardian Angels. (more…)
Oliver was paired with Dash in July of 2020. Oliver has a chronic sleep disorder that disrupts his sleep-wake cycle and made each day feel unpredictable and overwhelming. (more…)
The difference between the various groups of dogs out there, such as service dogs, assistance dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs can be very confusing. To help people understand the difference between service dogs and therapy dogs, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs has put together an informative article to help people better understand the differences.
What is a Medical Service Dog?
Service dogs, medical service dogs, and assistance dogs, which are all the names for the same thing, are the only type of dog that is protected by federal law under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Since they are federally protected, they are permitted to have public access privileges. No other type of dog, including therapy dogs, has this privilege.
Service dogs are protected by federal law because they are much like medical equipment- but with a heartbeat. They are permitted to go anywhere the public is allowed to go. This includes places such as:
- Public transit
- Grocery stores
- Movie theaters
- Malls
- Hotels
- Concert venues
- Restaurants
- And more
Because service dogs are not considered to be pets in any way, shape, or form, they do not fall under any pet regulations. For example, if a grocery store, hotel or apartment has a no pet policy, this will not apply to a service dog. A service dog is more like medical equipment and not a pet, so under the law, you can’t charge someone extra or deny someone service due to them having a cane or a wheelchair or a medical service dog.
What is a Medical Service Dog Trained to Do?
Medical service dogs are trained to perform a variety of special tasks that are used to mitigate the challenges presented by a disability for an individual. Many of the people we deal with at Guardian Angels have been self-isolated at home for years or have caregivers and are unable to enjoy major life functions independently. A medical service dog is highly trained and can help the recipient in ways that not even a caregiver can.
Some of the ways a service dog can assist their recipient include but are not limited to:
- Alerting the recipient if their sugar levels are too high or too low
- Alerting their recipient in advance if they are going to have a seizure, a nightmare, a flashback, a panic attack, etc.
Service dogs have the ability to do these amazing tasks due to their incredible sense of smell, allowing their recipient to begin to function in a more normal way. The recipient relies on their medical service dog to do these things. Additionally, we also train mobility dogs who can pick up dropped items, turn on/off lights, open/close doors, and perform an array of other activities.
At Guardian Angels, our Service Dogs are put through no less than 1,500 hours of training over a year and a half to two and a half years. This extensive training includes basic and advanced commands, desensitization, socialization, and public access training. They also learn to ignore loud sounds, horns, sirens, other dogs, etc.
What is a Therapy Dog?
Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs are considered pets. Therapy dogs are trained to provide affection and comfort to people in places such as retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospitals, disaster areas, and hospices. They are amazing at cheering up patients and putting smiles on the faces of staff and patients alike, and at Guardian Angels, we salute them!
Legitimate therapy dog handlers put their therapy dogs through a good deal of obedience training and socialization exercises to ensure visits to places like hospitals are friendly and positive for the patients and the dogs.
As mentioned above, therapy dogs are still considered pets, so they have no special rights under the law and are not granted any special access to public areas. In most cases, they are required to have a special Therapy Dog Certification, but this still does not provide them with any public access privileges like a medical service dog.
Have Questions About Service Dogs? We’re Happy to Help!
If you have questions about the difference between therapy dogs and service dogs, feel free to contact us today to learn more!
Mary Lamparter serves as the Advisory Council Co-Chair- Michigan for Guardian Angels. She has worked with Guardian Angels as a volunteer for nine years. She began her journey at Guardian Angels with the event Celebrate Michigan’s Military that she still holds.
She has now also become the Regional Coordinator in Michigan, the chair of the Advisory Council, developed a group called Ambassadors, and is also the liaison between Michigan recipients and various events that she holds and attends on behalf of Guardian Angels.
Mary’s Motivation for Working with Guardian Angels
Mary said her “why” for being involved with Guardian Angels is because she knows that fundraising enables Guardian Angles to pair more Veterans and First Responders who desperately need help. She said she is here because she is a networker and has been successful in fundraising for and educating about Guardian Angels. She said she never served in the military, so working with Guardian Angels is her way of serving those who have served our country.
She said she is constantly touched by the stories our recipients share. Personally, Mary said she has been responsible for introducing at least two recipients to Guardian Angels when they had never considered a service dog before. She said after learning their story, she was able to suggest they might like to look into applying; both have been paired. Each of these individuals were friends and/or personal acquaintances of Mary’s, and she said she was thrilled that she could play a role in giving them a New Normal.
What Mary Wants You to Know About Guardian Angels
Mary said she constantly meets people who don’t know anything about Guardian Angels, and the first thing she tells them is that “We Save Lives.” With almost 400 dogs paired in 11 years, we’ve never experienced a suicide among our recipients.
Shonda was paired with Jack in February of 2020. Shonda suffers from night terrors. (more…)
Guardian Angels won the 7th Annual Veterans Award for Suicide Prevention from the Academy of the United States Veterans (AUSV) for their work with veterans and suicide prevention for the second year in a row! The award is not just for the service dog industry; it’s for all for-profits and non-profits that help veterans. (more…)
At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, all the dogs go through the same training. But depending on whether it is a dog from our breeding program or a rescue dog, sometimes different things show up during training, and we never force a dog to do something it doesn’t want to do. (more…)
People are often confused about the different groups of dogs out there, such as assistance dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support dogs. To help assist people in understanding the difference between service dogs and other types of dogs, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs has put together an informational article to help you learn the differences.
What is a Service Dog?
The only dogs that are protected by federal law under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are service dogs, medical service dogs, and assistance dogs, which are names for the same thing. These are the only type of dogs that are federally protected enabling them to have public access privileges. No other category of dog has this privilege.
Service dogs are federally protected because they are very much like medical equipment – but with a heartbeat. They are allowed to go any place where the public is allowed to go, including on public transit and in grocery stores, movie theaters, malls, and hotels, etc. Service dogs are not considered pets in any way, shape, or form. They do not fall under any pet regulations.
If a hotel, for example, has a no pet policy, it does not apply to a service dog. Perhaps they do allow dogs, but there is a deposit for an extra cleaning fee that does not apply to a service dog.
Because a service dog is like medical equipment, you wouldn’t charge someone extra or deny someone services just because they came in with a cane, braces on their legs, or in a wheelchair, so you cannot deny them if they have a service dog.
What Does a Service Dog Do?
A medical service dog is trained to perform special tasks that mitigate the challenges of a disability for an individual. We deal with many people that have often been self-isolated at home for many years and/or have caregivers and are unable to enjoy major life functions. A medical service dog can change this and do things that not even a caregiver can do.
A service dog can tell the recipient if their sugar levels are too high or too low; they can tell them in advance if they are going to have a seizure, a nightmare, a flashback, a panic attack, etc.
Service dogs can do these things in advance due to their amazing sense of smell. Therefore, these people can begin to function in a more normal way. They depend on the dog to do these things. We train mobility dogs as well. Those dogs can pick up dropped items, open/close doors, turn on/off lights, and do a plethora of other activities.
Our Service Dogs go through no less than 1,500 hours of training over a year and a half to two and a half years. Training includes basic and advanced commands, desensitization, socialization, and public access training. They learn to ignore loud sounds, horns, sirens, and other dogs, etc.
What is an Emotional Support Dog?
Emotional support dogs are any dog. All dogs provide some level of emotional support. They are always happy to see us, want to come to cuddle with us when we are sad, etc. They are not trained to perform any specific tasks or skills to assist the owner.
Emotional support dogs, in most cases, do not have the level of training a proper service dog has and are not covered by ADA, except in a few circumstances that are limited to HUD housing. They are no longer allowed to fly commercial airlines as service dogs do.
An emotional support dog has no right to enter a public establishment any more than a pet dog does. If you are a pet-friendly business, of course, you are
welcome to accept ESAs and pets of all kinds in your establishment – just know that ESAs have no special legal permission to be there.
Why You Shouldn’t Allow All Dogs in Your Business
Unfortunately, there’s been a trend by businesses who are confused or intimidated by service dog policy that decide “just allowing all dogs” should be the answer. We’d like to discuss with you why this is not the best solution.
At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, our recipients frequently report attacks on their dogs by untrained pets inside retail establishments and VA buildings. This not only does damage to our dogs both mentally and potentially physically, but it can “undo” their many hours of training by imprinting a fear response to other dogs. Please give careful consideration to your policies before allowing all pets.
Educating your staff is not as difficult as it seems, and if you need assistance, just give Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs a call. We’ll be happy to help with understanding service dog laws.
Donate to Guardian Angels Today!
At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, your generous donations are used to help us assist veterans and others with disabilities to regain their independence and have a new normal! To make a donation, view our campaigns here.
With the summer season upon us, it’s time to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine. While the summer weather is great for outdoor activities like swimming or relaxing in the backyard, the heat can be dangerous for your pet or medical service dog. At Guardian Angels, we have put together some tips to keep your dog safe and comfortable this summer.
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While you may be familiar with service dogs, you may not know the type of training they go through to become one. Service dog training includes various areas of study and can take a lengthy amount of time to complete. At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, we’ve put together an overview of the training service dogs require to help you gain a better understanding.
A service dog is defined by the ADA as a dog that is trained to perform tasks to assist or benefit a person with a disability. A disability can be visible or invisible such as PTSD, Diabetes, Seizures, etc.
What are the Requirements of a Service Dog?
A person is eligible for a service dog if they have a permanent disability that significantly limits one or more major life activity. A service dog must always remain well-mannered and be trained to perform specific tasks that aid someone with a disability.
If it is not obvious what service your dog provides, recipients must be willing to answer two questions about their service dog. You can also choose to clearly identify your dog with service dog accessories to make their purpose clear in public spaces.
To be a service dog, the dogs must be brave enough, large enough, and intelligent enough to do the job. A service dog can never pose a safety threat to the public and is required to be able to perform their task 90% of the time or more, no matter the environment.
When Does Service Dog Training Begin?
Our service dogs begin their training in puppyhood. In the early stages of their training, the service dogs will learn the same things any well-behaved dog must learn, including:
- Crate training
- Housetraining
- Learning what to play with or chew (and what not to)
They will also begin to learn basic obedience exercises and skills. As puppies, they will go through a variety of exercises such as confidence building, mobility games, desensitization, and scent skills.
What Basic Skills do Service Dogs Learn?
Service dogs will learn the basic skills that come to mind when you think about dog training. They learn standard commands such as:
- Down
- Sit
- Come
- Heel
- Stay
- This basic training helps service dogs learn the positions that are useful during their task training and work. With basic training, we can also begin the process of distraction and proofing, so they learn to focus on their current task rather than being distracted by what is going on around them.
Advanced Service Dog Training
In many cases, most pet dog trainers, military dog trainers, police dog trainers, etc., have never trained service dogs or studied disabilities. Because of this, Guardian Angels created a college accredited program to teach apprentices how to become service dog trainers.
When it comes to training a service dog, multiple components of their training are far above and beyond the of training for other types of disciplines, such as:
- How to train a dog to alert on a certain high or low for diabetes
- Alert in advance for a seizure
- How to know when to hit an emergency help button if you were incapacitated
- How to wake someone from a night terror
What Special Tasks are Service Dogs Trained to Do?
- Task training is a major part of service dog training. Without learning the proper tasks, a dog cannot become a service dog. Service dogs can be trained on a variety of tasks, but their specific training will depend on the person’s disability and needs to help them lead an independent life. Common tasks for service dogs include:
- Retrieving dropped items
- Retrieving the phone
- Providing balance
- Turning lights on and off
- Opening/closing doors
- Helping a fallen person back to a standing position
- Alerting prior to a seizure
- Diabetic alert
- Mitigating challenges of PTSD by shielding, grounding from anxiety/panic attacks and flashbacks
- Waking someone from nightmares
- Help someone transition from sitting to standing
This training will help someone with a disability lead a more independent lifestyle. There are high expectations for a properly trained service dog in public. A service dog should essentially be invisible unless they need to perform a task for the recipient.
At Guardian Angels, our dogs exercise and practice on confidence-building courses as part of their specialized training. These courses offer challenges to the service dog and expose them to different environments that they may experience in their daily work.
In these courses, they work with their handlers to learn how to navigate the stairs and deal with moving objects. They also work on walking across a sway bridge and balancing on wobbly tables or platforms, among other obstacles. These courses are great exercises for the dog’s mind and body and teach them valuable real-life scenarios and skills they need to properly serve their recipient.
Learn More About Guardian Angels’ Mission Today!
Visit our Donate page today to learn more about our mission to unleash the power to heal for veterans and others in need. Our service dogs change lives for those who have a disability. If you want to be part of that mission, make a donation today!
