That way they will become routine by the time you must depend upon them. I have always thought only blind people have canine helpers. Recently, however, I saw someone who wasn t blind with a helper dog. There are, in fact, several different types of canine companions. A seeing-eye dog, the one most of us are familiar with, is a specialized form of service dog.
Service dogs help the independently working physically disabled.
These dogs perform everyday tasks, such as retrieving dropped items. These dogs guide their owners through life and are taught to recognize dangerous situations. They are highly disciplined and owners learn to trust them with everyday risks like crossing the street and avoiding obstacles. Some dogs aid the deaf or hard of hearing. They are trained to recognize sounds such as a telephone ring or a person calling the owner s name.