Dogs in uniform

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Assistance dogs: How to spot them
By Kathleen Hawkins BBC News
9 July 2014 Last updated at 02:37


Ever seen someone with an assistance dog at a checkout queue and wondered what it does? Here is a photo guide to help you identify some of the dogs that are out there working at the moment.

Assistance dogs can help disabled people out in a variety of ways from acting as a guide to blind people, to fetching your washing out of the washing machine if you are unable to.

There are a number of different assistance dog charities and organisations ranging from the large such as Guide Dogs who currently have 4,700 dogs to the small like Medical Detection Dogs who have 50 dogs that detect sugar level fluctuations in people with diabetes.

The training of dogs takes a long time and is often very involved. Puppies sometimes start training at six to eight weeks old as they begin to familiarise themselves with their surroundings and learn commands.

All accredited assistance dogs pass the same initial test - a public access test. Later they undergo task training which is specific to the disability of the person they will be assisting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-28195268