Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook by Marcie Davis
My review
rating: 2 of 5 stars
If you are physically disabled, and if you are going to get a service dog from an agency, then perhaps this book is for you. However, there are other ways to get service dogs, including training them yourself, and there are other types of disabilities that service dogs are used for.
The authors are very physical-disability centric, and in the introduction seem to put down psychiatric service dogs as not “real” service dogs. I beg to differ. I couldn’t go out without my service dog any more than Marcie Davis could go out without hers. I panic in crowds, I need the dog with me. The dog calms me. I have taught her some service dog tasks, not particularly because I need her to do them as that they will qualify her to be a “real” service dog in some people’s eyes.
Much of the book is spent not on training, or application process, but on the retirement, illness and death of a service dog. My dog is ten years old now, and I’m having to think about replacing her. And it’s sad.
I was very lucky when I got her. She was trained by me, but had a good temperament for the work in the first place. I know what I want in my next dog.
What is really needed is a book on how to select and train a dog to be a service dog. Not everybody can afford the fees that the agencies charge, or to travel to distant places to pick up a dog and train with it. Nor can some people wait the years on most agencies waiting lists. That’s why owner training is necessary for some people. It just could have been a more comprehensive book if the authors had looked outside their own experience.
July 7, 2008 at 7:50 am
I have been training my own service dogs which I am on my fourth dog now so I know what you are going through as to retiring yours soon. Sorry to hear that!
Not many people comprehend that a person with a disability could indeed train their own service animal. Just because somebody has a disability in which another doesn’t comprehend it doesn’t mean that individual cannot train their own Service Animal.
There is not many books that is out in the public that explains the finding the right breed, where one looks for such and how to evaluate the place you are looking at. Making sure those individuals care about their animals. Most of my dogs came from the shelters after doing some majour evaluations including evaluating the place. Not to mention that there is not many books that’s out in the world about all types of service animals for all various types of disabilities including those invisible. That’s where there is a majour fall back. Of course in todays society people still are not too aware of the different degrees of blindness. If one is not totally blind then they must not be blind while yet they are consider legally blilnd. So how in the world will people comprehend the medical alert service animals!!