Service Hounds

## Introduction

*Salutations and well met, Member of the Alliance! You’ve come across this text while being inquisitive about the program for Service Hounds in the Grand Alliance. Herein you will find briefly at times, in depth at others, the information accordingly.*

### Mission Statement

The purpose of the Service Hound program began as an effort to give the Soldiers of the King’s Army who had particular needs a companion to aid them in their day to day life. These companions were intended to help alleviate discomfort of ailments, aid in basic life skills, calm and soothe PTSD related episodes and perform other alert type functions that would assist the soldier and those around them.

The Service Hounds are a subdivision of the Houndmaster’s assets. While initially intended for military aid, the project has applications in domestic settings with those who survive intense trauma.

The office of the Beastmaster arrived along side this program. They are tasked with to aid in the medical care of Hounds and Animal assets within the army. As well as the keeping and training of Service hounds and other animals whom see regular employ in war efforts and domestic settings.

### What is a Service Hound and what do they do?

A Service Hound is a hound that has received specialized training to perform functions and acts that increase the quality of life of a person. There are two types of functions of a Service Hound, Alerts and Aids. Most service hounds will have two or more functions they are capable of. Each aid or alert has a patch associated with it, and these are sewn onto the collars of the hound in question. The collars are all, without fail, bright blue with gold settings. Consistency with patch color and collar color help those around the dog recognize that this is in fact a working dog.

Since the hound performs a specific function in a specialized environment they are often also tagged with one of the following patches.

## Care and Keeping

### Where are service dogs housed?

In the general sense, Service Hounds are allowed to live with their handlers in an organic environment. They are trained from the beginning to have minimal impact on communal settings. If a Service Hound is registered for general clinical practice, they will be housed in the Beastmaster Kennels. These hounds are kept separate from general war hounds so that they will not be influenced by the energy or training of those around them.

For health reasons, Service Hounds are not allowed in cooking or surgical environments that require sterility. They are however allowed in barracks, encampments and infirmaries as well as most public places. Service hounds are NOT allowed in active combat situations. Below you will find the proper way to set up an encampment kennel. Such information is found in the Military Service Section.

ALL handlers are expected to maintain a clean, safe environment for their dogs. They are required to take the dog out for regular exercise. As of current date, policy does not make an allowance for Service Hounds to take regular exercise with soldiers during Physical Training exercises.

Failure to maintain your Service Hound during rearing, training or keeping will result in discipline by regimental authority. Such failure may result in your animal being removed from you.

### How are they trained?

At the age of six weeks puppies begin training in basic commands. By the time they reach three months they are able to answer to their name, sit when commanded, stay where they are placed, lay down when they are told to and come to their trainer’s side. At the moment all basic training in infancy to team level training age is conducted by the Beastmaster or the Houndmaster.

When they are four months of age they begin to train with a team from both division and sub division as well as members of the medical staff. They learn more in depth commands such as fetch, how to recognize patterns and how to behave in public. These abilities are trained through repetition commands and reward based efforts to ensure that the hound has a positive experience and will not react negatively to their future handler. By the time they reach a year of age, the hound will know thirty five basic commands.

At the end of the first year the hound will be paired with their handler or handlers. The group will complete three weeks of intense training to ensure that the hound is properly bonded with their new companion. Besides the command list below the hound will also be trained for specific functions. The functions are seen below the command list and have patches associated with them.

* Command List
* Watch Me - The dog will make eye contact with you and watch you.
* Sit - The dog will sit.
* Down - The dog will lie down.
* Stand - The dog will stand on your command.
* Here - The dog will attend you and come to your location.
* Stay - The dog will stay where they are told to.
* Wait - The dog will wait where they are for a certain thing.
* Release - The dog will release an object. This is also a signal that they are done with a task.
* No - The dog understands they are not doing the correct thing.
* Off - The dog will get off of whatever they are on. Most common this is jumping on furniture or people.
* Lets Go - The dog will come to you and expect to keep moving at your side.
* Heel - The Dog will come to your left side and sit or walk with you.
* Don’t - The dog will understand that this, similar to no is something they aren’t supposed to be doing.
* Side - The dog will come to your right side and walk or sit beside you.
* Leave It - The dog will drop and leave whatever object it has picked up.
* Get Busy - Your dog understands that now is the time to go potty.
* Settle - Your dog understands that this is the time to calm down and get serious about what’s going on in the area.
* Go Through - Your dog will go through a door or crevasse alone.
* Back - Your dog steps backwards.
* Follow - Your dog follows you.
* Go Around - The dog will go around an object.
* Move - The dog will move an object out of the way.
* Closer - The dog will come within inches of you in order to be assisting, pet or provide servce.
* Go To - The dog will go to another person or location.
* Under - The dog will wedge itself under an object that it can fit beneath and hide paws and tail to be out of the way. Often desks, tables or chairs.
* That’s All - The dog will stop a particular behavior.
* Dinner Time - The dog understands that now is the time to eat and go to the feeding area.
* Careful - The dog will move slower and with more caution when doing something. Such as around injured persons.
* Quiet - The dog will cease noise making and move quietly. Includes barking, whining and growling.
* Salute - The dog raises their paw and touches the bridge of their nose to salute a person. They often do not realize who they are saluting. This is more of a morale booster and trained trick.
* Fetch - The dog will fetch an object. Most often one with a tag that has a pattern or image.
* Hide - The dog will leave the area and go hide within ear shot. Similar to Under.
* Order Arms - The dog understands that showing teeth and being aggressive towards something is no longer appropriate and that the area is safe.
* Draw Arms - The dog will begin to growl and act aggressive.
* Scent - The dog will attempt to register a scent and find the thing it smells like. Medication, brew and food are common targets.
* Bed Time - The dog will return to the place it normally sleeps.

## TYPES OF AIDS AND ALERTS

**Visual Aid** - The Hound is trained to help its handler avoid running into objects, navigating around an area and determining which item is which. Some Visual Aid hounds have learned patterns. Tags are placed throughout a living environment that the dog has been trained to fetch on cue. The Tags have certain colors, patterns or images on them. [ No-Touch Recommended ]

**Mobility Aid** - The Hound is trained to help its user move around. Usually by supporting their body or leg with a side, holding their hand with a gentle mouth or standing still while they pull themselves up and down from a sitting or lying position. [ Touch Recommended ]

**Sleep Aid** - The Hound is trained to lie on, around or near a person who has trouble staying in bed or sleeping. Their physical presence often is weighty. The pressure of another body has been found to help in most patients, with calming the body. The hound is also trained to growl softly, bark or “ herd “ the person back into bed if they are restless, try to get up too soon or otherwise stated have issues with falling and remaining asleep. [ Touch Recommended ]

**Therapy Aid** - The Hound is trained to sit near, be calm, nudge, lick or cuddle with a patient who is undergoing therapy. Guided therapy sessions are not the only place in which this type of hound is present. They are also present in courts and infirmaries. Most commonly the therapy hound performs a second aid function and is coupled with a Psychiatric Alert. [ Touch Recommended ]

**Proximity Alert** - The Hound is trained to sit behind a person in order to alert them of people coming up to them from behind. The alerts of this particular type of hound are tailored to their handler but are often quiet, subtle and allow the handler to react to the situation without drawing the attention of whatever is coming upon them.  [ No-Touch Recommended ]

**Medical Alert** - The Hound is trained to alert to an adverse medical condition of the handler. Most of these conditions are internal. They are trained to detect subtle changes in a person’s odor, respiration rates, and behavior. When detected they nudge, grab or lay on their handler. They also alert those around them to an issue by barking, leading or fetching an item to bring back to their handler. Most seizure alert hounds are also medical alert dogs. [ Touch Discouraged, but not barred ]

**Seizure Alert** - The Hounds are specifically tagged to aid not only the handler but those that the hound alerts that a seizure is likely in their handler. They are often present to help roll their handler on their side to keep them from asphyxiating. They are almost always present with physical touch at their handlers side.  [ No-Touch Recommended ]

**Psychiatric Alert** - The Hound is trained to alert to high anxiety, depression or panic in their handler. They respond in similar manners to medical alert dogs and are often also classified as Medical Alert. These hounds however are tagged with the Psychiatric Alert patch to help their handler alert those around them that come to help with the scene that they are experiencing a mental issue.

**The RED HAND** patch indicates that the dog may not be touched by others while on duty. The handler of this dog has been encouraged, advised, and trained to answer no to the question of “ May I pet your doggy? “. Doing so interrupts and teaches bad habits to the hound whom is there to provide a function, not play.  All hounds with alerts unless trained to behave otherwise [ as is common in dual functionality hounds ] are no-touch hounds.

**The GREEN HAND** patch indicates that the hound is safe to touch. These hounds are often citizen friendly and personable. These hounds are trained to perform functions that help the handler interact with the world. As such they must be able to be touched, either accidental or upon inspection. Most hounds with Aid functions are touch friendly, especially Therapy Aid hounds.

### The Costs of Owning a Service Dog

Service Hounds are provided with no cost by the Alliance Military. To ensure you are able to attain a service dog you must medically qualify to receive one. Service hounds range in a variety of breeds including the common ones of, Gilnean Mastiff, Alteraci Hound, Pug and Corgi. The most commonly trained and favorite breed at the time this information was first published was Corgi. All breeds are chosen for their intelligence and general personality.

After attaining your service hound you are responsible for their care, keeping and rearing. Members of the Alliance Military, whether in active, inactive or retirement will find their animal’s food and material needs provided free of cost while in allied territory.

In cases where food is scarce like on deployment, soldiers will have to forage for food in the wild with their hound. In dire circumstances of no supplies available; such as when there is a famine, plague or other such event that renders food scarce and or diseased. A service hound may be put down out of mercy to ensure they do not find death by way of starvation.

If a soldier neglects their hound or deliberately causes injury to them to the extent of putting the hound out of commission, they will be required to pay the costs, forwards and behind for rearing and training.

### How long are they in service for?

Service Hounds are in service for five to six years. At six years it is mandatory for the dog to retire to domestic life. They are allowed to then behave as a common dog. The handler is given first choice whether or not they would like to continue keeping their companion after retirement or if they would like them to go to a civilian home to live a more quiet stable life. Retired hounds still living with active service members will be kept in private quarters if the soldier has them or in the Houndmaster / Beastmaster Kennels.

## MILITARY SERVICE

Do service Dogs have a place in deployments?

Service hounds have a place on deployment but that place is not in combat. In order for a service hound to attend their soldier while on deployment they must remain in camp. It is required for the hound to be crated while the soldier is not in camp and they must remain leashed and tethered within their tents during the night.

Soldiers are still required to feed, relieve and exercise their animals as is safe in the area they are deployed to. It is ill advised to bring service animals into actively hostile militant zones that cannot guarantee encampment safety. In such an event that a service hound must be left behind while a soldier is on deployment, the hound will return to the Beastmaster Kennels and be cared for by the staff.

Is a service Dog capable of being a combat Dog?

Service Hounds are not allowed to learn active combat functions. They are also not allowed to be in combat situations such as battles or sieges. Research has shown that service hounds that have seen trauma, been victim of assault or otherwise stated adverse anomalies have difficulties maintaining their composure and performing their tasks.

Service hounds are generally able to sense and protect their handlers to a certain degree. However, this is used mostly as a last resort as it is the handlers duty to maintain the safety of their service hound in physical altercation form, not the other way around.

In order to qualify for a service hound you must have a medically certified condition that would benefit from the aid of a hound. The following is a brief but not complete list of conditions that qualify. A certified doctor must verify your conditions before you may apply for and register a service hound.

* Mobility Issues (Including Paralysis, Bone and Degenerative Skeletal Issues )

* Sensory Issues (General Sensory issues may be found in active duty militants. Blindness; unless temporary is found solely in those of retired or honourably discharged militants or citizens. Seeing Eye hounds are available for temporary use through General Medical requirements. )

* Psychiatric Issues ( Anxiety, Depression, Night Terrors, Mental Handicap etc. )

* Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

## Identification and Access

If an official , private business owner or public service person requests for you to identify yourself and your hound in order to gain access to an area that normally does not allow animals you must provide them with your registration card. These are given out in three copies when you have completed registration for a service hound. An extra copy by which the office can keep copies is kept with the Beastmaster. This is also a way for the office to keep track of which hounds are certified for which things.

Registration further allows the office to keep track of the well being and status of their hounds.

[An example registration card.]

## Removal of a Service Dog from their partner

Failure on behalf of the owner of a service hound to maintain the health, safety and well being of their service hound will result in the removal of the service hound from their ownership. Neglect and abuse may result in further legal action on behalf of the courts, with consequences including but not limited to, fines, fees and restrictions on further ownership of animals. The service hound will return to the beastmaster.

Service Hounds may also be removed from the company of a person if their ailment ends, they no longer need the service provided or they have decided to discontinue the therapy associated with the hound. At such a time a cooldown period will be enacted and the service dog will return to the Beastmaster. This period is to ensure the wellness of the dog as well as give time for evaluation and retraining as needed.

## What happens to a service Dog if their owner is Killed?

Similar to the removals above, a service hound whose handler has died while they are active in the duty roster will be remitted to the keeping of the Beastmaster. They will be given a period of two months to mourn the passing of their companion. Afterwards the hound will be evaluated for the possibility of retraining. If the hound is no longer able to perform necessary functions due to the trauma of losing their companion they will be retired to domestic life.

## How is a Service Dog buried?

Service hounds that pass away while active on the duty roster will be buried with honors attendant to the situation in which their death was realized. I.E. Protecting their owner, Defending their home, disease or famine. They will be granted casket and plot with no cost to their owner. A head stone or memorial urn will be furnished to the surviving companion.

CREDITS

To ensure accuracy of concept information was taken from the Service Dogs for America program. No direct information was copy and pasted. Information has been rewritten to register and take into account the influence of a fantasy enviornment. No information here should be taken as finite real world application.

WIP- FUTURE

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