I recently came upon an article asking the question why doesn’t the Department of Veterans Affairs provide money for service dogs?  There is no question about the benefits provided to disabled individuals by service animals.

… while the VA talks about “providing” dogs, the only thing they’ve really been trying to decide is whether to pay the same monthly stipend to disabled veterans with a service dog that they’ve been paying to those with guide dogs for many years.  That’s it – there’s been no intent (and that I’m aware of there still isn’t) to “pay for service dogs” the way some describe it, i.e., fund organizations who train assistance dogs.

There was a January 2008 memo signed by the former Secretary which summarized their position. …  I’ve read the memo, but I’ve got something even better for you – the man behind the memo describing the VA thinking about service dogs in his own words a few months later.

Fred Downs, the VA’s Chief Consultant, Prosthetics and Sensory Aids did an hour-long interview with Brian Lamb for C-SPAN on June 5th, 2008, during which he discussed many things, including his handling of the service dog issue.  You can watch the video below – skip to the 51:20 mark which is where the pertinent section starts.

Click the link: Al Brittain to read the entire article and watch the linked video.

Many people have asked who is eligible for a service dog?

Guiding Eyes is a regional program and participants and has the following requirements:

• Child must be 2-10 years old.
• Child must have an autism diagnosis.
• Child must live within 2 hours of the Training School in Yorktown Heights.
• All family members must be open to a service dog in the home.
• No one in the home can be afraid of or allergic to dogs.
• Child must need the service dog for safety.
• The family must understand that an autism service dog represents a lifetime commitment.
• One or both parents must be able to spend five days and four consecutive nights at our Yorktown campus.
• Applications for this program are available only by phoning 914-243-2228 or emailing heelingautism@guidingeyes.org. 

4PawsforAbility has the following requirements:

• No age requirements
• Two responsible adults (including 1 parent) must attend training.
• Cost of training is obtained through fundraising in cooperation with 4PawsforAbility.org.

Do you have a service animal? What organization did you use and what were your experiences.  Tell us in the comments.

I recently twittered about the surprising uses of service dogs. We are all familiar with service dogs used by individuals with blindness or other visual impairments. However, there are other ways these wonderful dogs help people with disabilities. 

One of my clients uses a service dog to help identify seizures before they occur and to provide protection during a seizure.

Service dogs can also help children with disabilities such as autism.  The Journal News recently covered this topic:

The dogs purpose is to provide safety and therapeutic companionship to children with autism, a neurological disorder marked by delays in speech and social interaction.

From a therapeutic standpoint, the dog serves as a point of focus for autistic children, enabling them to maintain calm.

From a safety perspective, the dogs wear a service vest to which the child is tethered while in public places.

The result is freedom for both parent and child.

Routine outings to stores or to the sports events … are made more manageable and more enjoyable…

Of course, there is a sizable cost associated with providing a service dog. 

Each dogs training costs roughly $45,000. As with the guide dogs that the nonprofit Guiding Eyes trains and places, its autism-service dogs are provided free, with the cost entirely offset by private grants and donations.

While autism-service dogs are becoming more prevalent, many organizations that provide them require families to pay $10,000 to $15,000.

For more information about service dogs for children with autism, see Guiding Eyes website.