Canine Partners for Life works to improve the quality of life and increase independence of those with disabilities by pairing them with professionally trained service dogs.

People with disabilities can boost all aspects of their lives with service dogs, who execute crucial aid depending on the disability of their owner. The Americans with Disabilities Act stipulates that service dogs are specially trained to assist a person with disabilities in their tasks and daily life activities. The tasks that service dogs perform are essential actions, like guiding people with visual impairments, signaling certain sounds for those who are deaf, retrieving items for people with mobility issues or alerting about impending cardiac episodes or seizures.

Aside from these physical aids, service dogs also have other advantages that enhance emotional well-being from their unique bond with their owners.  Service dogs undergo training for social situations, behavior requirements and specialized disability care.

Service dogs support people’s physical disabilities in a variety of ways. But many of their tasks are household actions like turning on lights and providing stability for their owner for standing, walking, or transferring out of a wheelchair.

In general, pets boost their owner’s level of social confidence and enable them to develop supportive relationships with others. The following emotional benefits are specific examples of this connection:

Companionship
Gaining a service dog means adding a loyal companion to your life that goes beyond typical canine devotion. A service dog can help and accompany you in many situations.

A Greater Feeling of Independence
You can transfer your needs to your service dog, who is constantly available to assist and ready to be helpful.

Increased Confidence in Social Settings
Owning a service dog not only cultivates personal happiness, but it also increases socialization for people with disabilities.

More Motivation
Service dogs can help you regain motivation to handle the potential challenge of daily chores and bring some joy in day-to-day activities.

Self-Improvement
A service dog allows many people with disabilities to do things they did not think were possible and to frequent public places with less worry.

Overall, service dogs allow a greater level of safety for individuals with disabilities, expertly trained service dogs can become your partner in many activities. A service dog as a team member can work with you to transport items, help you move from place to place and keep you healthy.  A service dog still requires care from their owners, too, so that dependence and connection between dog and human creates a reason to keep going.