Assistance Dogs

For more than twenty years, I have worked with dogs and each day they fascinate me more. 

That’s truly fortunate, given that working with dogs is my job. In 1991, I founded Canine Assistants, a service dog school for people who have disabilities. It humbles me to watch the remarkably kind things they do for the people they love.

Dogs are incredibly bright, learning to do many tasks on cue; so what they are capable of doing to help people is not really a mystery. But what truly stuns me is that they are willing to help us when not forced to do so. Consider the story of the man who released his guide dog to run away when they found themselves trapped in the World Trade Center on 9/11. The dog ultimately refused to leave the man he loved, though he must have been terrified and fighting mightily his urge to flee. Together, they survived.

In my time at Canine Assistants, I have known dogs who have put their comfort and wellbeing in jeopardy in order to protect their human partners. 

There are those who say that is merely how dogs are made, to be sycophants to man, and they cannot overcome their biological predisposition—at least not without having suffered some severe psychological or physical trauma. I disagree…it goes much deeper than that. 

Dogs care about us. It is one of the world’s greatest gifts. But that gift comes with a tremendous obligation for us. In my work, I see dog-made miracles almost every day. I realize that we owe dogs, both individually and as a species, our very best. It is no less than what they give to us. 

How can we learn to treat dogs with the respect they have earned? I am convinced that understanding and communication are the keys, and we should follow the lead being set for us by those scientists who actually study these remarkable creatures.

So what do these scientists say? They tell us that dogs already know we are the boss. We control the food, the water, and the shelter, and that using fear or force to create compliance is not only unnecessary, it’s downright cruel. They tell us that dogs aren’t juvenile wolves or human toddlers, even if they share some similarities. More importantly, they tell us what dogs are—animals that study us carefully and watch us closely so that they might discover how to please us. Let’s return the favor, shall we?