September is National Service Dog Month,
a time dedicated to raising awareness and showing appreciation for the
extraordinary work service animals do every day for the people in their care.
National Service Dog Month honors these working dogs for making millions of
lives better and safer.
As partners and
companions to our human species, dogs understand us and can read our emotions.
They have intrinsic therapeutic capabilities. Even an untrained dog can be an
emotional anchor for a person with anxiety or depression, but a trained service dog can bring specific techniques to bear.
Help us celebrate and
spread the word about service dogs and all the amazing things they do for us
during National Service Dog Month in September!
Service Dogs: Working Canines Who Deserve
Our Thanks
Service dogs
help those with debilitating medical conditions, from autism to blindness, seizure
disorders and hearing impairments, diabetes and those who need physical
assistance, and they also serve our wounded warriors suffering from conditions
like PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and mobility issues.
Service dogs provide
companionship while inspiring confidence, and they live to serve, protect, and
assist their handlers. They help their humans perform tasks, overcome
disabilities, and live fuller lives.
All of these animals
dedicate and often risk their lives to help their humans.
Where Did National Service Dog Month
Start?
Originally called National Guide Dog Month,
National Service Dog Month was established in 2008 by actor and animal advocate
Dick Van Patten.
After a visit to Guide
Dogs of the Desert in Palm Springs, Van Patten was so inspired that he launched
a fundraising drive to benefit guide and service dog training schools
throughout the country.
What began as a single
fundraiser evolved into an annual celebration of the extraordinary work that
service dogs do.
Where Do Service Dogs Come From?
Many service dog
organizations have a twofold objective: to provide a trained companion animal
for people in need and to save an animal’s life by using rescue animals for
this work. With thousands of dogs dying in shelters every year, simply because
they are homeless, it’s a perfect partnership.
Dozens of organizations
look to shelters for rescue animals who can have another chance at life as
service companions.
Animal Farm Foundation
is one these groups. They’ve established a service dog training program so
rescued Pit Bulls can train for work traditionally reserved for other breeds.
Dozens of other
organizations are training service dogs to meet specific needs:
Service dogs are
therapeutic and train to help their owners manage a variety of physical and
emotional disabilities. They have a legal right to go everywhere in support of
their person. They deserve a month for us to celebrate their work and honor
these loyal companions who make life better for so many of us.
Will you help us
celebrate National Service Dog Month in September? Have you ever relied on a
service dog for assistance? Let us know in the comments below!
