Advantages of Having Assistance Dog

Someone who’s physically challenged knows the problem which could be found in everyday tasks that most of us tend to take for granted.  For those coping with the daily challenges of life with a handicap, a habit trained by VuCare Assistance Dogs can be of tremendous help in helping them to achieve a greater level of mobility and independence.

Some of the benefits of a Service Dogs are:

Service dogs are with their partners constantly.  It is basically like having a helper 24 hours every day!

SELF SUFFICIENCY

The disabled person has less demand for asking other people to assist with tasks.  This is not only practical in many circumstances, it has the psychological advantage of beating the feelings of despair and imposition that a person can feel having to ask for help repeatedly.

LESSENED CAREGIVER COSTS

There is less need for a human caregiver to assist with chores around the house or to perform tasks such as shopping, etc..  These dogs are trained to help with many tasks and are adaptable to learn how to take care of unfamiliar duties their partner might need assistance with.

While Service Dogs are not trained for protection since they need to be well mannered and nonaggressive in public, they do discourage aggressive improvements from others and can act as guardians for their partners (especially in cases of seizure victims).

The day to day interaction needed to take care of a dog assists the individual to stay active and involved with staying healthy.  Even the simple act of throwing a ball in a game of draw is an exercise which helps both canine and human to keep in shape.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dogs offer many opportunities for exercise: dressing them, throwing a ball or frisbee, playing tug games, etc..  All of these help keep their individual partner moving and staying limber.  Many times a person will push themselves to strive harder for their dog than they would ever do just for themselves.  In quite a few cases, these special canines are also trained to help with a structured physical therapy exercise, for example, lying across legs to give balance for sit-ups or supplying a brace for the spouse to use while walking or moving from a wheelchair.

PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS

No matter how rotten a day has been, these special dogs offer affection during these hard times and offer unconditional love and support.  So often a person with a disability will put on a brave front but inside will be in pain, scared, depressed, frustrated, angry, or just plain exhausted with coping with the effects of their disability.  Having their canine partner there, giving them both physical and emotional support can make the difference between a tolerable day and one where you only want to give up.

SOCIAL BENEFITS

Many times individuals with disabilities experience isolation and in some instances, outright shunning because others feel uncomfortable with how they need to act around them.  Unknown conditions can be scary and people are notorious for avoiding situations where they do not know what to do or how to act.  Having a Service Dog will help to bridge that uncomfortable barrier.  Where someone would feel they couldn’t possibly ask how a person deals with their handicap, they are easily able to show an interest in the way the dog helps their spouse.  This increased social interaction greatly lessens the isolation and feelings of being alone that the disabled individual must cope with everyday.  As one spouse once said, “my dog makes my wheelchair disappear”.

About VuCare Assistance Dogs

VuCare runs as a not for profit organization that offers support with medical aids and has a goal to train Assistance Dogs and Company Dogs to enhance the quality of life and increases the degree of freedom for people who have handicaps.  VuCare Assistance Dogs and Company Dogs provide their new owners greater autonomy increased freedom, enhanced trust, and greater self-esteem.

To learn more phone us on 1300 830 166 or email us at info@vucare.com.au.  Visit VuCare Assistance Dogs Australia site at http://vucare.com.au.

VuCare Assistance Dogs – Training Programs for Dogs and Dog Owners

VuCare Assistance Dogs
VuCare is committed to providing the highest level of training for our dogs in order to improve the lives of our clients and the dogs who care for them.

We aim to introduce new and innovative training programmes to meet the growing demand for assistance dogs. We also will strive to understand the needs of our clients and train the dogs in order to meet those needs.

For more information call us on 1300 830 166 or email us at info@vucare.com.au. Visit VuCare Assistance Dogs website at http://vucare.com.au.

Considering a Therapy or Service Assistance Dog for Your Special Needs Child? Pros and Cons

To begin with, let’s differentiate between ‘assistance dog or service dog’, ‘companion dog’ and ‘therapy dog’.  Terms are not always used consistently but, these are the definitions:

Assistance or Service Dog

An Assistance or Service Dog is trained to perform specific physical activities to help someone with a disability, like opening doors, turning on lights, retrieving dropped items, carrying things, and alerting to sounds.  These dogs are typically trained and certified by assistance dog organizations and have full public access rights under the ADA law.  (NOTE: there have been some instances where the public access rights of assistance dogs for children are challenged.

Therapy Dog

A Therapy Dog is trained in basic obedience that offers companionship but does no particular tasking.  These dogs are often graduates of assistance dog organizations and especially suited for this work because of temperament.  They normally don’t have public access rights and work mostly in the home.  However, they are often invited to accompany the child into public places.

Companion Dog

A Companion Dog is a family pet with no particular training or certification.  They don’t have public access rights.

All three of these sorts of dogs will, if partnered correctly with children, provide the main service of all: love, affection, acceptance, and companionship to children too often disenfranchised and lonely.  In reality, often times, obtaining a four-legged furry ‘best pal’ will function as a social magnet, attracting other children, and for that reason promoting positive relationships which may otherwise be tricky to attain.  Children with disabilities are ‘different’ and those ‘differences’ are sometimes seen by peers as ‘negatives’… something to be frightened of or uncertain about.  But a child with a canine partner, while also seen as ‘different’ is seen as ‘different’ in a nice and appealing way.  So not only does the child have the comfort, security, and benefits of a loyal best friend in their dog, but they frequently acquire more human friends due to the dog.

Whilst adding a furry friend to the family can mean added expenses at the end of the month, it may also be a possible benefit from a tax perspective also.  Naturally, completely free taxes would be wonderful: but as most of us know, taxes are a simple fact of life.  That means that the intial purchase of the dog, any costs to train, and expenses related to the maintenance of said animal are completely tax deductible provided that the creature is employed to assist somebody who’s physically disabled.

For children with specific physical disabilities, an assistance dog can offer specified help past the companionship.  A child who must rely on others for everything (retrieval of a dropped toy, opening a door whilst negotiating a wheelchair or crutches) cannot develop independence in a natural progression.  At these times, self-esteem suffers and often there’s an accompanying fear of being alone that inhibits natural curiosity and exploration.  A child who’s afraid of falling is less likely to feel comfortable alone in a room, out in the yard, or even going to the bathroom by themselves, but a partnership with a dog tends to lessen fear.  Moreover, an assistance dog can ‘alert’ if there’s a problem (barking for help or actually going to have a parent or other adult).  Additionally, these dogs have the ability to provide actual physical help to a fallen child (the dog stands close and braces while the kid pulls him/herself up by grasping the dog).

Assistance dogs and therapy dogs can offer great help during various medical procedures also, especially when physical or speech therapy is necessary.  Imagine how much more motivated a child would be to walk across a room, regardless of pain, if their very best friend is waiting with a wagging tail and smiling face.  Even in hospitals, assistance/service and therapy dogs can offer great comfort and distraction from unpleasant medical procedures and are allowed into facilities in several instances.  For speech therapy, reading to a dog has been demonstrated over and over to offer great benefit.  A child sitting beside a dog, petting the fur, while reading aloud literally lowers blood pressure and other stress factors.  When this occurs the reading experience is much more pleasant for the child, which means more time is spent practicing leading to improved performance.

If you are looking for assistance dogs in Australia, check out VuCare Assistance Dogs. VuCare operates as a not for profit organization that provides support with medical aids and has a goal to train Assistance Dogs and Companion Dogs to improve the quality of life and increases the level of independence for people with disabilities. VuCare Assistance Dogs and Companion Dogs offer their new owners greater independence increased mobility, enhanced confidence, and higher self-esteem.

For more information call us on 1300 830 166 or email us at info@vucare.com.au. Visit VuCare Assistance Dogs Australia website at http://vucare.com.au.

VuCare Pooch Support Team

If you have, or know of, a puppy/young dog, which you think might be suitable for training, please contact our pooch support team by calling our Head Office on 1300 363 700 or by email at poochteam@vucare.com.au.

 

For more information call us on 1300 830 166 or email us at info@vucare.com.au. Visit VuCare Assistance Dogs website at http://vucare.com.au.

Top 10 Advantages of Assistance Dogs and Therapy Dogs

There are so many reasons why dogs are considered man’s best friend – no one will ever be happier to see you when you walk through the front door daily or listen to you for hours on end with no grievance. There’s no doubt that dogs help lead to better well-being, which we emphasized in this post. Therapy and assistance service dogs, in particular, play a unique role in society, helping their owners work daily and make life simpler for them.

Top 10 Advantages of Assistance Dogs and Therapy Dogs

• Helps individuals overcome speech disorders: Individuals with dysarthria deficiency muscle coordination in language motion. Therapy dogs can assist with this by raising the attention span and enhancing coordination.
• Stress help: Therapy dogs can help patients suffering from illnesses like stress, serious disruptive behavioral disorder, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder). Studies show that when we touch dogs, it’s a curative power because hormones like dopamine and beta endorphin are being discharged.
• Help with dementia: Frequently in the event the elderly grow dementia, therapy dogs can supply support by helping with easy jobs. These jobs include such matters as recovering items, walking with the those afflicted, and by providing support for all those in their attention emotionally and physically.
• Support communicating: Dogs have an excellent way of connecting with people by putting them at ease. Dogs can feel human vocalization and gestures. It’s been revealed that individuals who have trouble communicating frequently find it simpler to do so with a dog, because of their capability to listen but not react or criticize.

• Help with autistic kids: Dogs give something to talk about between autistic kids as well as their parents. They offer a non-judgemental medium to speak and have a mutual area of interest while also letting them reap the benefits of the aforementioned capability to support communication.
• Physiological advantages: Therapy dogs can reduce blood pressure and help the patient relax in a more cozy setting. A dog’s sense of touch can automatically send a favorable receptor, like a warm sensation between the person and creature. This is really a rewarding method to relax the patient who might have problems with stress.
• Helps around family: Therapy dogs are certified trained to retrieve medicine for the patient, answer the doorbell, and to react immediately to a smoke detector if the individual is unresponsive. These dogs are called animal- assisted treatment trained dogs
• Encourages socializing: A study by Harvard demonstrates that dogs are not just great companies themselves, they’re able to additionally help create person-to-human camaraderie and social support, each of which are great for long term health. Folks with dogs are 60% more likely to meet up new folks!
• Various kinds of therapy dogs to meet various needs: With each patient, there’s a distinct form of therapy dog trained to be satisfied for the various needs of that individual. The foremost is the “Therapeutic Visitation” dog, these are routine dogs that are taken by their owners to Rehabilitation practices, retirement homes, and hospitals. The Following kind is the “Animal Assisted Therapy” dog which helps its individuals in rehabilitation practices get their fine motor skills. Eventually is the “Facility Therapy” dog who’s tasked with helping seniors and dementia patients.
• Encourage exercise: Having a therapy dog can boost your readiness to work out enhance your motor skills. It’s healthy for both the owner or patient and dog to take regular walks, which lets you go out as well as revel in the clean atmosphere and reap the advantages of communing with nature and those connected with exercise.

About VuCare Assistance Dogs

VuCare runs as a not for profit organization that provides support with medical aids and has a target to train Assistance Dogs and Companion Dogs to enhance the quality of life and raises the degree of freedom for those who have handicaps. VuCare Assistance Dogs and Company Dogs offer their new owners greater autonomy increased freedom, enhanced trust, and higher self esteem.

To find out more phone us on 1300 830 166 or e-mail us at info@vucare.com.au. See VuCare Assistance Dogs Australia web site at http://vucare.com.au.