Last data update: Jul 01, 2024. (Total: 47134 publications since 2009)
Records 1-3 (of 3 Records) |
Query Trace: Parenti L [original query] |
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Selecting quality service dogs (part 1): morphological and health considerations
Parenti L , Wilson M , Foreman AM , Wirth O , Meade BJ . APDT Chron Dog 2015 2015 71-77 Service dogs include dogs for mobility, vision, hearing, developmental disabilities, diabetic alert, seizure alert, and psychiatric support. They are trained to "provide work or perform tasks related to an individual's disability." When accompanied by a service dog, the individual with a disability is afforded some public access protections (Parenti, Foreman, Meade, and Wirth, 2013). Current demand for service dogs outweighs supply (M. Winkle, Crowe, and Hendrix, 2012), and average wait times of up to three years for a well-trained dog are not uncommon. Service dogs are generally trained for a minimum of 18 months, and training can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 (Allen and Blascovich, 1996. According to some estimates, only 50% of dogs entering training progress to the level of service dog (Batt, Batt, Baguley, and McGreevy, 2008), increasing the cost of training and limiting the number of available dogs. Hereditary diseases and behavioral problems are the most common reasons for a dog to be released from a training program (Wahl, Herbst, Tsai, and Murphy, 2008). Targeted selection and breeding of physically and behaviorally healthy dogs would allow organizations to allocate their resources more efficiently, reduce training costs, and increase the supply of service dogs to those in need. Service dog training programs nationwide can benefit from selecting and breeding dogs based on characteristics relevant to their service dog specialty. This is the first of three articles on the selection and breeding of dogs for service work. The current article addresses morphological and health considerations; the remaining articles will focus on behavior and temperament characteristics and research in the field of service dog training. |
APDT research spotlight: project Rover's survey of assistance dog providers
Baughman P , Foreman A , Parenti L , Scotti JR , Meade BJ , Wilson ME , Wirth O . APDT Chron Dog 2015 2015 25-30 With the increasing demand for assistance dogs by individuals with physical and/or psychiatric disabilities (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of disability in State and Local Government Services, 2010), rapid growth is expected in the number of provider organizations that acquire, breed, train, and place dogs with individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information about this burgeoning service industry. For example, little is known about how many providers exist, the populations served by these organizations, the breeds of dogs used, and the specific tasks the dogs are trained to perform. To address these and other questions, a web-based survey of assistance dog provider organizations was conducted. This survey is part of Project ROVER (Returning Our Veterans to employment and Reintegration) which is a research collaboration between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and West Virginia University (WVU). The focus of Project ROVER is on the role that pets and assistance dogs may play in helping U.S. veterans reintegrate into civilian life and return to work. One objective is to obtain more information about how service dogs are aiding this process for veterans with disabilities. Psychiatric service dogs are of particular interest because veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have lower rates of employment (Chan, Cheadle, Reiber, Untzer and Chaney, 2009) and service dogs for psychiatric disabilities are increasing in number (Smith, Esnayre and Love, 2003). A preliminary review of the professional literature and other media reports on assistance dog organizations revealed an absence of information on organizational characteristics, the services offered, the populations served, the types and breeds of dogs used, and the supply of trained dogs. This information is lacking not only for organizations serving veterans, but also for organizations serving other populations. Therefore this survey targeted all types of assistance dog organizations, regardless of the populations served. |
A revised taxonomy of assistance animals
Parenti L , Foreman A , Meade BJ , Wirth O . J Rehabil Res Dev 2013 50 (6) 745-756 The use of animals in various assistive, therapeutic, and emotional support roles has contributed to the uncoordinated expansion of labels used to distinguish these animals. To address the inconsistent vocabulary and confusion, this article proposes a concise taxonomy for classifying assistance animals. Several factors were identified to differentiate categories, including (1) whether the animal performs work or tasks related to an individual's disability; (2) the typical level of skill required by the animal performing the work or task; (3) whether the animal is used by public service, military, or healthcare professionals; (4) whether training certifications or standards are available; and (5) the existence of legal public access protections for the animal and handler. Acknowledging that some category labels have already been widely accepted or codified, six functional categories were identified: (1) service animal; (2) public service animal; (3) therapy animal; (4) visitation animal; (5) sporting, recreational, or agricultural animal; and (6) support animal. This taxonomy provides a clear vocabulary for use by consumers, professionals working in the field, researchers, policy makers, and regulatory agencies. |
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