What is a service dog?
A service dog is a dog specifically trained to help people with certain disabilities. Service Dogs can help people in many different ways in their everyday lives depending on what the people’s needs are.
Why can’t you pet service dogs when they are working?
Petting service dogs while they are working can be very distracting. It can have negative and even dangerous consequences to distract service dogs while they are actively helping someone.
How long does it take to train service dogs?
It varies depending on what type of service dog the dog is training to be. On average it takes one to two years to fully train a service dog.
What different kinds of service dogs are there and what kind are Mari and Dusty?
There are many different kinds of service dogs, but we are mobility service dogs. Other common types of service dogs include guide dogs, psychiatric service dogs, autism service dogs, balance service dogs, and hearing service dogs.
How do Mari and Dusty help Dr. J every day?
We help Dr. J with lots of things. We help her open doors, pick up things she’s dropped, get ready in the morning and before bed and we help her get things around the house, such as food from the fridge.
Do the Girls enjoy their adventures while travelling with BEYOND LIMITS?
We love travelling. Getting out of the house any chance we can get is always an adventure!
How active do service dogs have to be?
We have to stay pretty active, but it depends on what kind of service dog. We both go outside several times each day and play actively! We’ve chased around many different types of wildlife that get into our backyard.!
Can service dogs be any breed?
Yes, many different dog breeds are used for different types of service dogs. Common service dog breeds are Labradors, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Hearing dogs are often mixed breeds and may come from shelters. They need to be a bit scrappy.
Do service dogs ever get to act like regular dogs?
While service dogs may not get to live the same life as dogs that are just pets, we are loved equally if not more. We also get to go many places average dogs can’t and most of us do get to roll around and play sometimes, like average dogs.