Observe Assistance Dog Day and Week in August
Assistance Dog Day
On Assistance Dog Day we honor assistance dogs and their trainers.
Without them people who live with disabilities or illnesses may not be able to lead independent lives. These very special dogs help their masters navigate the world and even keep them safe.
But they’re more than just helpers. As constant companions, they’re also members of the family.
Assistance Dog Day happens on the Monday of International Assistance Dog Week, which starts on the first Sunday in August. The week (and we presume the day) was started by Marcie Davis.
Ms Davis has been a paraplegic for more than 35 years. She is an author (Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook) and founder of the Working Like Dogs website.
Assistance Dogs Have Lots of Jobs
The assistance dogs most people are probably most familiar with are the guide dogs for people with vision loss. These dogs help their masters get around:
- Cross the street
- Walk through doorways
- Sit down safely
- Walk around obstacles
But other assistance dogs are trained to help with other disabilities or illnesses.
Medical/Seizure Alert Dogs recognize signs of certain conditions:
- Epileptic seizure (also other seizures)
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Panic or anxiety attack
- Post-traumatic stress episode
Service Dogs help people with disabilities or limited mobility with certain everyday tasks:
- Open drawers and doors
- Carrying items
- Walking and balance
- Dressing
Hearing Alert Dogs help people with hearing loss and alert them to sounds like:
- The telephone
- The doorbell
- Alarms (smoke, fire or a timer)
- Sirens
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficially helpful holiday.
Observing Assistance Dog Day and Week
Find an event near you.
There may be dog shows and/or walks. If there’s an assistance dog training center near you, see if it’s having an open house or tour. They’ll often open to the public for this day to help raise awareness of the work they (and their dogs) do.
Learn more about assistance dogs:
- Assistance Dogs International is a “coalition of not for profit assistance dog organisations.” The coalition works to improve training and education about assistance dogs and the right of people to bring assistance dogs with them in places pets are not normally allowed. See their information on Types of Assistance Dogs and frequently asked questions.
- International Association of Assistance Dog Partners is “a non-profit, cross-disability organization representing people partnered with guide, hearing and service dogs. You’ll find links to a lot of good resources on their home page.
- An Introduction to Service Dogs, on rover.com, also provides links to a variety of resources to help you understand how these animals help their humans and the laws protecting them.
If you’re considering training your own service dog, you might be interested in one of the Teamwork dog training manuals by Stewart Nordensson and Lydia Kelley.
Whether you use a service dog, know someone who does or just want to learn more about them, this week and day are worth celebrating.
[…] Assistance Dog Week (August 2 – 8, 2020): For this week we honor the dogs who work so hard to help their humans live their best lives. We also honor those who raise & train the puppies who will become assistance dogs. They’re all heroes to the people with physical or mental disabilities who rely on their assistance dogs to navigate their daily lives. […]
[…] Assistance Dog Week (August 2 – 8, 2020): So, we jumped the gun a bit when we included this in last week’s post! But it’s definitely a worthwhile week. So let’s do remember to honor the working dogs and their trainers. Without them many people would have a much harder time getting through their daily lives. […]