Welfare
The people who receive service dogs are adults, and sometimes children, with disabilities some of whom may have had mental trauma, for example been in accidents or are war veterans. How can people with problems taking care of themselves be expected to take adequate care of an animal? I will take an anecdote from Chelsea: The story of a signal dog by Paul Ogden (1992) to emphasize this point. A man became a paraplegic after his car crashed while he was driving drunk. His friend, the passenger, was killed in the crash. He applied for a service dog from CCI, was accepted, and made it through their two week training program. Once home with his new dog, he was so distracted by his guilt over the car crash that he did not prevent his dog from running into the street and being hit by a car. The dog was injured but not killed so the CCI took the dog back and retired it from service (Ogden 1992).
People not returning dogs they believe to be poorly matched to themselves can also become a problem. Training facilities try to match each specific dog to a specific person to maximize their bond. The people are encouraged to return the dog if they believe it is not the right dog for them. Some people, for a number of reasons, do not do this and it can lead to slight resentment towards the dog. Without the strong bond and full cooperation both members of he team can suffer.
The stresses on dogs that work with autistic children can be greater then those felt by dogs serving people with other disabilities. The dogs get fewer breaks from work and less time doing recreational activities plus there is a higher potential of unintentional maltreatment of the dog by the autistic child (Burrows et al. 2008).
In a recent issue of the Toronto Sun, a man wanted advice on training and certifying his dog as a “guide-dog.” This man needed a dog to help with tasks he can’t do because he is wheelchair bound. He hired a trainer to certify his Yorkshire terrier as a service dog. It turns out that, at least in Ontario, any dog can be certified as a service dog as long as it is requested by a doctor or trainer. To be training a dog as small as a Yorky to be doing tasks such as unloading laundry is absurd and probably not possible due to their size (Wade 2012). The laws regarding which dogs can be certified should be made much stricter and only proper training facilities should be allowed to certify dogs. The current policy is potentially harmful for the dogs and the people around them.
In the United States you can get your dog certified online as a service dog for the low price of $149.95 plus $10. (shipping and handling) which covers the certification kit. The kit includes: “two Custom service dog vests w/ patches- your choice of color, one personalized Service Dog Certificate (embossed), one Custom service dog ID card w/ picture, one Military style Engraved dog tag w/ rubber silencer, and four FAQ wallet information cards.” All that is required is that you initial a form stating that your dog meets most of their qualifications. In the website they mention that they will certify your dog regardless of size or breed. Two quotes from the website are: “Feel the freedom to take your canine companion everywhere you wish to go with no hassles.” “Even a well trained Service Dog is not perfect. If your dog exhibits occasional nipping, muzzling is recommended.” (Service Dog Certification of America 2012). Companies like this ruin the reputation of properly trained service dogs. In order to certify your dog as a service dog in BC you must apply to the Ministry of Justice. “Your guide dog or other guide animal must be trained by a training facility that the Ministry recognizes as providing acceptable training standards.” Upon completion of the training the facility issues a graduation certificate which can be mailed to the Ministry of Justice to obtain certification (British Columbia Ministry of Justice 2012).