Dachshund Service Dogs

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service animal as "as any guide dog, signal dog or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability." If your dachshund meets these criteria she is considered a service animal. Service animals can be any animal, not just a German shepherd. Most are dogs, but a service animal can also be a bird, a cat, a reptile -- even a monkey.

Unless you are flying, you are not required to provide any proof that your dachshund is a service dog. As long as you are a person with a disability, you are entitled to have a service animal, provided your dachshund meets the criteria set forth in ADA. People are only allowed to ask two questions: "Are you a person with a disability?" and "Is this a service animal?" No one is allowed to ask the nature of your disability, nor are you required to show any proof or certification (airlines are the exception). Currently there is no national registry for service animals; nor is there a mandatory test or training program.

Training your dachshund to perform a service is not as difficult as you might think, especially if you are coping with a mental or psychological disorder. Almost any dachshund can learn to to "sit," "stay" and remain calm on a leash. Little more is required, unless your disability requires a specific act, such as barking when someone rings the doorbell -- as if dachshunds need any training with that!

Unfortunately, business owners who aren't familiar with the rules about service animals often give people a hard time, especially if they have a dachshund or another breed of dog not commonly thought of as a service animal. People are used to seeing-eye dogs, and they often don't realize that service animals can assist with disabilities that are not visible. The rules are clear, though: Business owners cannot forbid a person with a service animal from entering their establishment. Likewise, people with service animals cannot be denied housing because they have a "pet." Service animals are not pets; they are tools to assist people with disabilities, the same as a cane or wheelchair.

The easiest way to avoid conflict if you have an "unseen" disability is to purchase a service animal vest and carry with you some basic information about the rules governing service animals. If you are planning to go to a hospital or fly on a plane (the Department of Transportation has more restrictive regulations), make sure you have a doctor's note confirming that you require a service animal. Again, this step is not legally required, but it will make things easier for you in the long run.

Although dachshunds can certainly be trained to perform as guide or signal dogs for the blind and deaf, among other physical and sensory limitations, they do extremely well as helpers for people with epilepsy, chronic depression, autism, acute anxiety disorder and a number of other "unseen" disabilities. Given their affectionate natures, they can provide comfort to people who cannot otherwise function normally in public. Because they are small, they can even catch rides with people in wheelchairs!

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is more than visiting sick kids in the hospital to cheer them up. Although that's certainly one goal, more tangible benefits are what the the therapy can produce: improvement in the patient's physical and emotional well being. AAT can motivate the patient into feeling better and taking positive steps toward treatment. Animal assisted therapy can help discouraged patients, such as people in convalescent homes and those faced with seemingly insurmountable treatment plans, find new hope and the strength to reconnect with the world. Anyone of any age or physical condition can benefit from AAT visits, including the elderly, Alzheimer's patients and hospice patients

Animal assisted therapy dogs are not considered service animals. Because they are not trained to provide a specific service for a person with a disability, they are not entitled to the same privileges as a service animal. However, animal assisted therapy dogs are helpers nonetheless and can bring bring great joy to the lives of the ill and the elderly.

For more information about animal assisted therapy, visit the Delta Society at www.deltasociety.org