Service animal
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Service animals are animals that have been trained to assist people with various types of disabilities.
The international assistance animal community has categorized three types of assistance animal[1]:
- Guide animal- to guide the blind
- Hearing animal- to signal the hearing impaired
- Service animal- to do work for persons with disabilities other than blindness or deafness
Most service animals are dogs, however members of other species may be trained to perform tasks to help their disabled partners live independent lives. Other than dogs, the three most popular species for service work are Capuchin monkeys, Miniature horses, and domestic cats.
Capuchin monkeys are trained to perform manual tasks such as grasping items, operating knobs and switches, and turning the pages of a book.[2]
Miniature horses are trained to guide the blind,[3] to pull wheelchairs, or support for persons with Parkinson's disease.
Cats are trained to signal their deaf owner for certain sounds, or may naturally be able to predict seizures.
Service animals may also be referred to as "assistance animals", "assist animals", "support animals" or "helper animals."
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ International Association of Assistance Dog Partners Retrieved on October 17, 2007.
- ^ Helping Hands Retrieved on October 17, 2007.
- ^ Guide Horse Retrieved on October 17, 2007.
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