The other day I read an article in which the author commented that she thinks service dogs are "like regular dogs with the spark snuffed out." She admits she's only had limited exposure to service dogs and that's been when they were in public, working. I guess she thinks they are on duty all the time.
As I read that article, Isaac was busy tearing around the living room, happily destroying a stuffed frog. Too bad she couldn't see him. I think he has plenty of spark!
See, service dogs aren't on duty all the time. Isaac might work a total of four to six hours a day in a typical day, and that's not all at one stretch, either. He might work for ten minutes to help me unload the dryer, then take a nap for an hour, then work for ten more minutes to help me get another load of clothes out of the dryer. We might spend two hours running errands, but he's not working that whole time; he spends part of it lounging in the backseat of the car, looking out the window or napping. Now, it's true that some service dogs work more hours than Isaac does, but they still get time off duty, as well.
Service dogs off duty are just like any other dog. They play. They act silly. They forage in the garbage can, chase cats and squirrels, dig in the flower beds, roll in smelly stuff, beg for belly rubs, lick themselves, and snooze. They have fun. I'll add that most service dogs enjoy working, too, but I'll talk more about that another day.
I'm sure not all service dogs are well cared for, just like not all pets are well cared for, but all the people I know or have spoken to with service dogs make a real effort to ensure all their dogs' needs are met, and that includes a dog's need to play, socialize, and have fun. They buy their dogs lots of toys. They take their dogs to dog parks or other places where they can run and play. They join play groups so their dogs can play with other dogs, dogs they know aren't too aggressive or poorly behaved. They spend lots of time playing with their dogs. Those service dogs might have more fun than the average pet does, come to think of it. They don't seem deprived at all, to me, and they have plenty of spark.
This is very fascinating. When you say he helps you get loads out of the dryer, how does he do that?
ReplyDeleteI open the dryer, he sticks his head in and pulls out an article of clothing with his mouth, and hands it to me. Then I drop it into a laundry basket on the floor. I'm working on teaching him to drop it into the laundry basket himself, and he does that occasionally, but he gets confused about what I want him to do with it sometimes if I don't take it from him. Anyway, since he takes the clothes out of the dryer for me, I don't have to bend over, which is hard on my back. When he's gotten all the clothes out and they are in the basket, he pulls the basket by a braided rope that is attached to one end. He drags the basket all the way to the living room and puts it in front of the couch, where I sit to fold the laundry. That way I don't have to lift the basket of laundry, which is also hard on my back. He gets a treat two or three times while he's unloading the dryer and another treat after he pulls the basket out to the living room. He loves pulling the basket - in fact, sometimes he starts to pull it before he's gotten all the clothes out of the dryer and I have to remind him to finish that job first.
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