A service dog is an umbrella term for dogs that assist people with a disability in some fashion. This could be a mobility assistance dog who performs tasks like picking up things for people who use wheelchairs or bracing someone who is unsteady on their feet.

Service Dogs Perform Many Tasks
Service dogs can also be seizure alert dogs that can smell chemical changes in the body before their owner has a seizure. They are trained to get their owner to a safe place so they don't fall and hurt themselves during a seizure.

Dogs for the Deaf
People with hearing impairments use service dogs to alert them by pawing at them and leading them to the noise. For example, dogs learn to recognize if the door bell rings, if the smoke alarm goes off, or if the owner's alarm clock is ringing.

Diabetes Dog Helpers
Some dogs are trained to tell people with diabetes when their blood sugar is low or high by smelling chemical changes in their body. They can even get a juice box for their owner to prevent shock.

Service Dogs and Autism
People and kids with autism have service dogs to help them focus and to prevent them from doing dangerous behaviors such as running in to the street. Service dogs of all kinds not only perform tasks that assist the owner, but also aide in social interaction.

Service Dogs Bring Calm
People with anxiety or PTSD get emotional support dogs who calm them down when they are having an attack. Abled bodied people are much more likely to approach a person with a disability if they have a dog with them. The dog becomes an easy topic of conversation and the conversation can branch out from there.

Service Dog Organizations
There are many organizations that train service dogs, such as Canine Companion and Paws with a Cause. Some people chose to train their dog themselves.

Photo courtesy of Canine Companions for Independence.