MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOGS
Our Mobility Assistance Dog program provides trained service dogs to assist individuals with mobility impairments.
People with mobility impairments experience many physical barriers that reduce or eliminate their ability to live independently and take part in mainstream society. Some require assistance with every aspect of personal care and daily living while others simply have difficulty navigating spaces that are not designed for access. Safety, well-being, and access to experiences outside the home often hinge upon hired personal attendants. Often an uncomfortable balance must be struck, weighing costly (and scarce) attendant care against the safety and comfort of individuals with disabilities.
Mobility Assistance Dog partnerships encourage independence which, in turn, offers more opportunities, dignity, and privacy for people with mobility impairments.
Mobility Assistance Dogs from Eyes Ears Nose and Paws open doors of opportunity for our clients who have mobility impairments. In addition to tugging open doors, turning on lights, and retrieving items, our dogs learn to love learning. When our dogs partner with our clients, they become a team that can adapt to new situations that enable them to live more independently and lead more productive lives.
How can Service Dogs from Eyes Ears Nose and Paws help? They can …
- retrieve items big or small — something as small as a dime, as delicate as a tissue, and as heavy as a 5 lb shopping bag!
- place items in a person’s hands, on a surface (like a counter), or in a basket
- turn on and off light switches
- tug open doors, refrigerators, cabinets doors and drawers
- push buttons – for elevators, accessible doors, pedestrian walkways, and doorbells
- unzip and tug off clothing
- adjust blankets and bedding
- assist with transfers or help people stand from the floor or a chair
- find help in cases of emergency
Most importantly, dogs from Eyes Ears Nose and Paws are trained to adapt their skills to new situations. Possibilities are only limited by your imagination and our ability to give you the skills you need to work with your Service Dog.
Finally, Service Dogs are taught to be unobtrusive helpmates. They have learned over 30 obedience commands and have had exposure to many different public environments. This training allows them to blend into the work place, a shopping center, or make adventures into unfamiliar territory easy for our clients.
Interested in an Assistance Dog?
Learn more about the process of getting an assistance dog and how to get started.
