Dog “saves” tutor with rare syndrome and goes viral; learn about other types of service dogs

Recently, a video of a dog “saving” its owner went viral and moved the web. At the time, the dog realized that his owner was feeling sick and acted quickly to help her.

Katie is an American who suffers from a rare condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, which is characterized by an increased heart rate when the person stands up and can cause dizziness and fainting.

Bailey, her service dog, is trained to sense when Katie’s heart rate changes by scent. In the video, he quickly made Katie sit up and grabbed her medicine and a bottle of water from the fridge before anything could happen.

On a TikTok profile, Katie shares her daily routine with Bailey, who follows her everywhere. The video reached over 24 million views. Just as Bailey helps her owner by being a service dog, many other dogs are trained to help people with illness or with some type of disability.

@serviceaussiebailey

Often times #POTS hits you in the most random moments. Which is why Bailey is so vital to my health. I was just trying to get a drink to go with my sandwich and apparently my Heart decided to not work correctly. Without Bailey, I wouldve fainted and couldve hit my head. #pots #potssyndromeawareness #potssyndrome #fyp #foryou #servicedog #spoonless #potssyndromeillness #dog

♬ original sound – Bailey and Katie

Meet other types of dogs that work to help humans

Guide dog

This type of service dog is trained to help provide independence and greater mobility for people with visual impairments, as well as providing safety and agility, assisting in driving and avoiding obstacles. Labradors are the most used breed for this service, however Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds can also be guide dogs.

Diabetic alert dog

Using scent, diabetic alert dogs are trained to detect changes in blood sugar levels. They perceive by smell when the tutor is diagnosed with diabetes and do not perceive hypoglycemia until the level is low and may pose a risk. Dogs can also be trained to raise alarms in case of medical emergencies. The most used breeds are Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Poodle, Corgi, Australian Shepherd and Shetland Shepherd.

hearing dogs

Hearing dogs are trained to help people who are deaf or have some type of hearing impairment. They alert tutors after hearing audible warnings such as bells, emergency alarms, oven alarms, etc. For this service, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Poddle, Cocker Spanil and Cavalier King Charles are the most used breeds.

mobility service dogs

These dogs are trained to assist people with reduced mobility, such as quadriplegic and paraplegic people or people with other types of locomotion disabilities. They work by helping to turn lights off and on, pick up objects, open and close doors, and can even help tutors change clothes. Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever and Poddle are the most used breeds.

Seizure Alert and Seizure Response Dogs

There are two types of service dogs that help people with seizures, alert dogs and response dogs.

Seizure Alert Dogs are trained to warn their owners before a seizure happens. Despite this, there is no scientific evidence that dogs can predict these seizures, but some scientists believe it is through scent. The breeds they are able to detect are German Shepherd, Golden Retriever and Border Collie.

Response dogs do not alert of a seizure, but are trained to assist their owner during and after a seizure. They can bark, set off alarms, find people to help, and bring medicine. Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever and Poddle are the most common breeds.

allergy alert dog

Allergy Alert Dogs are trained to recognize specific smells to prevent their owners from having allergic reactions such as gluten. They are used a lot by children, which give security to parents and autonomy to children.

Therapy dogs and psychiatric service dogs

These two types of dogs help humans with mental health. Therapy dogs can be found in nursing homes and hospitals and are an important part of improving the mental, emotional and physical health of patients, also helping people with socialization and learning difficulties.

Psychiatric service dogs help people suffering from panic attacks, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. They can be trained to enter the house before the owner and turn on the lights, for example, bringing a sense of security after trauma.

People within the autistic aspect may also be accompanied by psychiatric service dogs, especially children. The dog can help the child during crises, avoiding injuries and risk situations, helping to regulate emotions.

military service dogs

Military service dogs are different from military working dogs that work on missions with firefighters, police and etc. They help soldiers who have returned to their homes to overcome post-traumatic stress and also assist soldiers who have motor difficulties.

Training

For each function of a service dog there is a different training, which are done by specialized people. The specific trainings will help your future tutors in their varied needs.

Dogs undergo training that includes several processes, including socialization, education and specialized training. The process can vary from 1 year and a half to 3 years, depending on the function that the animal will develop.

During socialization, which is a fundamental part of training, the dog will live in a family and learn basic commands. He needs to get used to different places and stimuli, to be prepared for different situations when he is handed over to his future tutor.

After the socialization time, he returns to the institution to perform specific treatments. Not all dogs follow through to the end of the process. After time with the family, the animal’s health and behavior are assessed, and it may be released from duty. The responsible institution decides if he will be assigned to another function, such as a therapy dog, or if he will be donated, being able to be handed over to the family that was with him during the socialization phase.

In Brazil, people who need a service dog should contact the institutions that train the animals. It is necessary to fill out documents with your information, meet all the requirements, prove your medical condition and wait for the institution to contact you, which will make the selection.

Legislation

Despite the need of many people, Brazilian legislation still does not have laws that cover all service dogs and the different particularities of each guardian. The only law at the federal level is that of the guide dog, which guarantees the visually impaired person the right to enter and remain with the animal in all public or private places of collective use.

In 2018, the Commission on Human Rights and Participatory Legislation (CDH) approved a Senate Bill that extends the right already guaranteed by the Guide Dog Law to include other categories of assistance dogs, such as hearing dogs, alert dogs, dogs for autistic people and dogs for people with mobility impairments.

After going through several committees within the Chamber of Deputies since 2018, PL 10286/18​ is currently awaiting an opinion from the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Commission (CCJC), as informed by the Chamber’s advisory. The project should also be considered by the Committee for the Defense of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, by the Committee on Social Security, Social Assistance, Childhood, Adolescence and Family, in addition to going through the Plenary.

Despite this, the states of Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Acre and Rondônia, and the municipalities of Sorocaba, Belo Horizonte, Campinas, Chapecó and Paranaguá have their own legislation on service and emotional support dogs.

Emotional support dogs are in a different category than service dogs. Service dogs were trained to perform the specific function, while emotional support dogs do not fit, as they do not receive training. However, psychiatrists can indicate their presence in the patient’s life for the treatment of psychological disorders.

To travel by plane with an emotional support animal, you must check the airline’s regulations. Due to the lack of laws at the federal level, it is up to the companies.