Use Of Service Dogs Research Articles

How Are Service Dogs for Adults with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Integrated with Rehabilitation in Denmark? A Case Study.

Simple SummaryThe use of service dogs for adults with mental illnesses has become generally accepted. With reference to a single case study of a client with Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD), this study illustrates some of the potential advantages, but also note an important concern that appears to have gone unnoticed. The provision of service animals/therapy animals for adults with mental illnesses must be sufficiently informed by relevant knowledge and integrated with concurrent rehabilitation efforts. When it is not, it may contradict existing evidence-based treatments or unintentionally worsen conditions such as anxiety. This study argues that integration is possible and greater coordination efforts should be made.A severe mental illness like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is known to have psychosocial consequences that can lead to a decreased quality of life. Research in Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) has revealed that the presence of a dog can have a positive effect on health, e.g., increase quality of life and lessen depression and anxiety. However, canine companionship is not a catch-all solution. Previous research has revealed methodological limitations that prohibit any clear conclusions, as well as a sparsity of critical reflection in anecdotal reports and case studies, which means that more research is needed to contextualize the findings. There has been an increasing interest in animal-assisted intervention in Denmark in recent years. Previously, authorities could only grant service dogs to adults with physical disabilities, but now this has been extended to adults with mental illnesses. Therefore, it has become important to explore how these service dogs are incorporated into rehabilitation practices in mental health, and how rehabilitation professionals react to the use of service dogs. This paper is a case study of a person who suffers from PTSD. This study examines how the person describes the significance of having a dog during her rehabilitation process, and how this is integrated with existing rehabilitation. The case study has been developed based on a semi-structured interview. A Thematic Content analysis was used to reveal dominant patterns and categories. This study revealed a lack of communication and collaboration between public administration (social service), service dog providers, health rehabilitation services, and providers of psychological treatment. It also revealed limited access for the dog to public services, limited success in incorporating the dog into goal-directed treatment and rehabilitation procedures, a strongly felt emotional support from the dog, and a perceived stigma by having the dog wearing a vest with he words “mentally ill” printed on it.

Caring for Patients with Service Dogs: Information for Healthcare Providers

People with disabilities use various assistance devices to improve their capacity to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Service dogs can be crucial lifesaving companions for their owners. As the use of service dogs increases, nurses are more likely to encounter them in healthcare settings. Service dogs are often confused with therapy or emotional support dogs. While some of their roles overlap, service dogs have distinct protection under the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Knowing the laws and proper procedures regarding service dogs strengthens the abilities of healthcare providers to deliver holistic, patient-centered care. This article provides background information about use of dogs, and discusses benefits to patients and access challenges for providers. The author reviews ADA laws applicable to service dog use and potential challenges and risks in acute care settings. The role of the healthcare professional is illustrated with an exemplar, along with recommendations for future research and nursing implications related to care of patients with service dogs.

Service Dogs for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Efforts are underway to make posttraumatic stress disorder a condition for which the Veterans Administration will authorize coverage for use of service dogs.

Service dogs in the chemistry laboratory

The use of service dogs by individuals with disabilities is increasing, and their presence in the chemistry laboratory raises issues of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the needs of the individual chemist, and concerns about the safety of the dog and of other individuals in the laboratory. This paper addresses these issues and gives some guidelines for discussions with the dog's partner.

Stakeholder Perceptions of the Need for Research on Elements of Service Dog Partnerships in the Workplace

Purpose:To examine the perceived need for research on elements of successful service dog partnerships in the workplace outlined by stakeholders in an exploratory study.Method:A structured mixed methods approach was used to gather ideas from people with service dogs, trainers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and other health care professionals. Sixty-eight people participated in the process, from brainstorming elements (n= 24), sorting them into clusters (n= 10), rating the items for importance (n= 40), and need for research (n= 34). Among those rating research, most were service dog handlers (55%). Primarily, the group had experience with mobility/stability dogs (45%) or medical alert/response service dogs (35%).Results:Sixty-eight elements were brainstormed and rated according to need for research. The clusters Monitoring and Dog Preparation received the highest mean ratings in response to the question,What is your perception of the relative priority of conducting research on this item?All 68 elements were perceived to be in need of further research.Conclusion:The conclusion was that the elements established in this study should generate scholarly activity in the rehabilitation and disability research and service community with the intent of identifying promising practices related to the use of service dogs in the workplace by people with disabilities.

Interventions for improving employment outcomes among individuals with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

Systematic literature review. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate interventions aimed at improving employment outcomes for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). An electronic search of Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane database, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Science Abstracts and Social Work Abstract databases was performed on 31 December 2013. To be included in the review, studies needed to investigate interventions among individuals with SCI where employment was an outcome. Exclusion criteria include (i) reviews, (ii) studies not published in English and (iii) non-peer reviewed publications. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, two were randomized controlled trials. The strongest evidence finds that supported employment can improve employment outcomes among individuals with SCI. The use of service dogs has also been shown to improve employment outcomes. The remaining 12 studies are observational and predominantly focus on vocational rehabilitation programs. There is a dearth of high-quality intervention research that targets employment outcomes in individuals with SCI. Consequently, conclusions are mostly based on evidence from observational studies. Vocational rehabilitation programs are the primary focus of this evidence, but conclusions may be confounded, as individuals may be self-selecting for these programs. Additional randomized trials on employment interventions are needed to overcome these limitations. Studies should aim to identify which components of these programs have the greatest influence on employment outcomes.

Students With Autism, Service Dogs, and Public Schools

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increasingly receive assistance from service dogs. Nonetheless, confusion surrounding service dogs for students with ASD has precipitated litigation between parents and schools. The purpose of this review was to examine state laws pertaining to the use of service dogs among children with ASD. Statutes were evaluated to identify all disability classifications eligible to use a service dog, regulations related to the authorized training of service animals, and school access for service animals. Results suggest that current state laws do not facilitate the use of service dogs by children with ASD or provide sufficient guidance for parents and schools. Recommendations for policy follow a discussion of the results.

The Training and Use of Service Dogs in Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this study is to describe the role of occupational therapy fieldwork students in the training of service dogs. Ethnography is an approach that strives to explore and describe the point of view of people. Ethnographers view the researcher as an instrument to gain insight into the subject. This researcher utilized her own experiences as an occupational therapist, an occupational therapy educator, and as a volunteer dog trainer of service dogs. She then validated the process through interviews with key informants. The results indicate that occupational therapists and occupational therapy students are capable of playing a significant role in the training and placement of service dogs. During a level I experience, occupational therapy students experienced the importance that a dog can play in a person’s life as a tool of adaptation. They also learned advocacy and professionalism and applied the Person-Environment-Occupation model of practice. In addition, students recognized that barriers exist in the use of service dogs.

Service Dogs and People with Physical Disabilities Partnerships: A Systematic Review

Occupational therapists have recognized the benefits that service dogs can provide people with disabilities. There are many anecdotal publications extolling the benefits of working with service dogs, but few rigorous studies exist to provide the evidence of the usefulness of this type of assistive technology option. This systematic review evaluates the published research that supports the use of service dogs for people with mobility-related physical disabilities. Articles were identified by computerized search of PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, OT Seeker, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, SportDiscus, Education Research Complete, Public Administration Abstracts, Web of Knowledge and Academic Search Premier databases with no date range specified. The keywords used in the search included disabled persons, assistance dogs or service dogs and mobility impairments. The reference lists of the research papers were checked as was the personal citation database of the lead author. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria and whereas the findings are promising, they are inconclusive and limited because of the level of evidence, which included one Level I, six Level III, four Level IV and one Level V. All of the studies reviewed had research design quality concerns including small participant sizes, poor descriptions of the interventions, outcome measures with minimal psychometrics and lack of power calculations. Findings indicated three major themes including social/participation, functional and psychological outcomes; all of which are areas in the occupational therapy scope of practice. Occupational therapists may play a critical role in referral, assessment, assisting clients and consulting with training organizations before, during and after the service dog placement process. In order for health care professionals to have confidence in recommending this type of assistive technology, the evidence to support such decisions must be strengthened.

Animal-Assisted Interventions for Individuals with Autism

Merope Pavlides has written this book from both a professional perspective and one of being a mother of two boys; one of whom has autism, the other has dyslexia. The book begins with an overview of the types of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) that can be used, as well as discussing briefly some of the key issues, both logistically and ethically, that need to be considered before contemplating their use with an individual. Following the introduction, more in-depth discussion is provided in the chapters about the use of service dogs, companion animals, therapeutic riding and dolphin therapy. Pavlides identifies some benefits, as well as some of the downsides of using particular forms of AAI. Advice is provided about how to choose the right therapy for the family and the individual, while stressing that AAI is not always suitable for everyone.

Factors Affecting Behavior and Welfare of Service Dogs for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The use of service dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder is a relatively new and growing assistance-dog application. The objectives of this article were to identify and describe the factors influencing an autism service dog's performance and the impact of this type of placement on the dog's welfare. A qualitative approach uses interview and observational data to characterize the dogs' behaviors and welfare with relevancy to the dogs' home environments. Identification of potential physical stressors included lack of rest or recovery time after working, unintentional maltreatment and prodding by children with autism, lack of predictability in daily routines, and insufficient opportunities for recreational activities. Results revealed that these dogs formed social relationships primarily with the parents and second with the children with autism. Failure to recognize and respond to the identified physical, emotional, and social needs can have serious impacts on the behavior, welfare, and performance of these autism service dogs, as well as parental satisfaction. As applications of service dogs expand to new domains, there is a need to assess and understand factors and variables affecting the relationship between family and service dog to ensure continued success of these programs.

Understanding seizure dogs

In their article “Pseudoseizure Dogs,” Dr. Krauss and coworkers ( Neurology 2007:68:308–309) look at the use of service dogs to assist patients with epilepsy and other related conditions. The authors found that several of their patients with seizure response dogs did not suffer from epileptic seizures, but in fact had “pseudoseizures” (now more commonly called “nonepileptic seizures”). Nonepileptic seizures can be difficult to distinguish from epileptic seizures: they may look exactly like epileptic seizures. The difference is that during a nonepileptic seizure, there are no abnormal electrical discharges in the brain of the type seen in epileptic seizures. Nonepileptic seizures can have many causes; however, the most common cause is a psychiatric illness. In these illnesses (the most common called a “conversion disorder”), psychological stresses come out as physical symptoms. Usually, the nonepileptic seizures are not under the person's control. Seizure response dogs are animals that respond to a person having a seizure. Usually, the dog will be helpful in some way during the seizure itself. The dog may respond by instinct, or it can be trained for this purpose. Such animals may be able to alert others that a seizure is happening or will stay with the person during a seizure to help avoid injury. Finally, as the person is awakening from the seizure, the presence of the seizure dog can be both reassuring and reorienting to the patient. Many patients report feeling more confident, knowing that they have some type of assistance for their seizures. A seizure alert dog is one that can alert the patient or family member before a seizure begins, or …

Selecting Shelter Dogs for Service Dog Training

Service dogs are an essential aid to persons with disabilities, providing independence, mobility, and improved self-esteem. Because of these proven benefits, the growing use of service dogs is creating a demand and supply crisis. One major cause is the 50% average dropout rate for dogs selected for training. Weiss and Greenber (1997) recently found that a dog, successful on the most commonly used selection test items, was as likely to be either a poor or a good candidate for service work. The experiment presented here evaluated test items developed by the author in 15 years of experience with dogs. The test items were administered to 75 dogs from the Kansas Humane Society. Once tested, the dogs received obedience and retrieval training. The experiment assessed each dog on behavior over 5 weeks of training versus performance on each selection test item. A subset of the selection items, combined in a regression analysis, accounted for 36.4% of the variance with R = 0.603. This research also revealed a reliable test for dog aggression without risking injury to dog or tester. Items for testing included fear, motivation, and submission. Another set of selection items reliably predicted the trait of "high energy" commonly described as "high strung." Future research should involve investigating the effectiveness of both cortisol levels and blood pressure in predicting traits to help strengthen the predictive value of the tool and then testing on dogs trained to be full service dogs.

Occupational Therapy in the Community: What, Why, and How

Objective. This study examined the physical, emotional, social, and economic functions of service dogs, the training methods for service dog/owner teams, and problems encountered with service dogs in relationship to occupational therapy literature and domain of concern.Method. A 31-question survey was developed based on the literature and Uniform Terminology (AOTA, 1994) and was completed by 202 service dog owners from 40 states and Canada.Results. Owners reported that service dogs assisted them in 28 functional tasks, helped them to feel safe, increased their social interaction, and reduced physical assistance by others. Problems with service dogs included difficulty with dog maintenance and public awareness of their role as a worker or assistant to the owner. Over 80% of respondents desired additional training in alternative ways to perform daily living tasks.Conclusion. The use of service dogs is consistent with the occupational therapy domain of concern and practice. Occupational therapists might collaborate with service dog trainers and potential owners in referral, assessment, training, and follow-up services.

The Use of Service Dogs as an Adaptive Strategy: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study was to describe, qualitatively the use of service dogs by persons with physical disabilities and the meaning of this experience. Five service dog owners were observed and interviewed on multiple occasions through an ethnographic approach. Identified themes were increased community participation, "closer than family" increased social contact, personal skill development, having fun, responsibility, adjustment, challenges, independence, "someone to watch over me," and "feel like an able-bodied person." Service dogs are used to enhance independence in occupational performance areas and contribute to improvements in psychosocial functioning. Given these benefits, service dogs could be viewed as a form of assistive technology that occupational therapists may want to consider as an alternative to traditional devices for some clients.

Service Dogs: A Compensatory Resource to Improve Function

Objective. This study examined the physical, emotional, social, and economic functions of service dogs, the training methods for service dog/owner teams, and problems encountered with service dogs in relationship to occupational therapy literature and domain of concern.Method. A 31-question survey was developed based on the literature and Uniform Terminology (AOTA, 1994) and was completed by 202 service dog owners from 40 states and Canada.Results. Owners reported that service dogs assisted them in 28 functional tasks, helped them to feel safe, increased their social interaction, and reduced physical assistance by others. Problems with service dogs included difficulty with dog maintenance and public awareness of their role as a worker or assistant to the owner. Over 80% of respondents desired additional training in alternative ways to perform daily living tasks.Conclusion. The use of service dogs is consistent with the occupational therapy domain of concern and practice. Occupational therapists might collaborate with service dog trainers and potential owners in referral, assessment, training, and follow-up services.