Heeling Allies Provides Psychiatric Service Dogs

I know service dogs can provide an astonishing array of services to people with needs as widely varying as diabetes and seizures to sightlessness and loss of hearing. But newer on the horizon is the Psychiatric Service Dog, helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as civilians with wide ranging mental and emotional illnesses. There is a great organization dedicated to providing such service dogs.—Sid

About Heeling Allies

www.heelingallies.org

Heeling Allies is a Seattle-based non-profit organization that trains mental health service dogs for individuals over the age of 18 with mental illness, developmental disorders, intellectual disorders and  other psychological conditions that  rise to the level of a disability.

In a six month intensive training program, Heeling Allies Service Dogs live with a Heeling Allies trainer and are tailor trained to assist their handler. These dogs learn to master advanced obedience skills and public access skills, and to behave in places of  public accommodation (e.g. grocery stores, malls, and restaurants). Heeling Allies Service Dogs are trained to perform tasks which are unique to the individual with whom they will be placed, and therapeutically interact with individuals who have mental challenges.

Who can benefit from partnering with a Mental Health Service Dog?
Mental Health Service Dogs can be a great adjunct to treatment for individuals with mental impairments ranging from bipolar disorder to major depressive disorder.  However, Heeling Allies has seen Mental Health Service Dogs be especially effective in the lives of individuals who have anxiety disorders such as: agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What benefits do owners of professionally trained Mental Health Service Dog handlers commonly experience?

• Reduction in debilitating symptoms.

• Greater access to the world.

• Around the clock support, in addition to mental health treatment and social support.

What types of things do professionally trained Mental Health Service Dogs do to assist their handlers?
Every individual experiences his/her mental impairment differently, which is why Heeling Allies custom trains Mental Health Service Dogs to meet the unique needs of each of our clients. No two dogs we produce are trained to perform identically.

Mental Health Service Dogs must have a solid foundation in basic and advanced obedience training, and public access training; as well as the ability to perform work that mitigates disabling symptoms of their handler’s disability.

Mental Health Service Dogs can reduce debilitating symptoms of some psychological impairments such as, hyper-vigilance, avoidance patterns, and exaggerated or painful responses to internal and environmental triggers.

Mental Health Service Dog tasks can be broken down into two categories: conditioned tasks and intuitive tasks.  Conditioned tasks are tasks that a dog is deliberately trained to perform, and intuitive tasks are tasks a dog performs without having been taught to do so.
Examples of Mental Health Service Dog Tasks:

• Provide a buffer or a shield for the handler in crowded areas by creating a physical boundary.

• Extinguish flashbacks by bringing handler into the  “here and now.”

• Orient during panic/anxiety attack.

• Stand behind handler to increase feelings of safety, reduce hyper-vigilance, and decrease the likelihood of the handler being startled by another person coming up behind them.

• Environment search.

• Wake handler to alarm.

• Wake handler from nightmares.

• Turn on/off lights.

• Help balance unsteady handler/provide physical support for balance.

• Assist in coping with emotional overload by bringing handler into the “here and now.”

• Remind/alert handler to take medication.

• Interrupt obsessive behaviors.

• Alert handler to change in mental state (i.e. panic attack, anxiety attack, manic episode, etc).

Information cited above is the Heeling Allies website. Please visit their site to learn more or to donate to their cause. http://www.k94k8.com/About-Heeling-Allies.html

Land of Pure Gold Foundation – “Mitigating a World of Hurt: Psychiatric Service Dogs Stepping Up to the Challenge” Read more about this topic at:

http://landofpuregold.com/sitstaysoothe.htm

 

Below, from  “A Survey of Mental Health Patients Using Psychiatric Service Dogs”

TABLE 1: A Repertoire of Psychiatric Service Dog Tasks

Psychiatric Service Dog Tasks*
Disorder	Symptoms	Trainable Tasks
Major Depression	Hypersomnia	Wake-up owner
	Memory loss	Remind to take medication on-time Scent tracking to find lost objects
	Disorganization	Assist daily routines and household chores
Bipolar	Hyper focus or Irritability Olfactory cue?	Alert to incipient manic episode
	Aggressive driving	Alert to aggressive driving
Anxiety	Restlessness Distractibility	Tactile Stimulation
	Social Anxiety	Assist owner to leave situation
Panic	Olfactory cue?	Alert to incipient panic attack
	Fight or Flight response	Lead handler to a safe place
	Dizziness	Brace or lean against the owner
Post Traumatic Stress	Hyper-vigilance	Alert to presence of other people
	Fear	Safety check a room
	Nightmares	Turn-on lights and wake owner
Obsessive Compulsive	Repetitive behaviors	Interrupt behaviors
Schizophrenia	Hallucinations	Hallucination Discernment
	Confusion or disorientation	Take owner home
	Feeling overwhelmed	Buffer owner in crowded situations

*A more extensive list of tasks may be found at http://psychdog.org/tasks.html

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A Wet Walk Fur Love Event Still Draws Crowds

So sorry to have missed the Carver Scott Humane Society’s Walk Fur Love event yesterday. There were thunderstorms predicted all over and from my soggy experience the day before at the Helping Paws event, I knew my books couldn’t risk another possible soaking, so I begged off. I am glad to report that they had a terrific turnout of walkers despite the weather! Yeah! All the CSHS folks’ hard work needed to be rewarded. I’d have followed through if it were just me and my dogs walking in the rain. It’s just that even with a canopy overhead, super high moisture in the air will curl the pages of my books and I can’t be selling damaged goods. Again, my apologies for backing out at the last minute. I am so happy things turned out well for the humane society’s fund-raising anyway!

Helping Paws Wag Walk and Run Event Soggy but Successful

Me (Sid Korpi—L) with Elaine Garley of Animal Connections

Elaine Garley of Animal Bridges and I shared my new canopy as we set up today in a heavy downpour for this fund-raising event for Helping Paws. Luckily, the rain let up for the various races, but then it came back as we packed up. I was impressed by the number of people: volunteers, vendors, and participants and their dogs, who showed up given the inclement weather. If you had wanted to be there but couldn’t stand the rain, you can still donate to the cause by visiting the Helping Paws website.

Helping Paws “Wag, Walk and Run” and Carver Scott Humane Society “Walk Fur Fun” Events

Come and see me this weekend at one of these great fund-raising events. Go to my site and click on the Appearances page for all the info! See you there!—Sid

CSHS Walk Fur Love, Sunday, May 22

Helping Paws Wag, Walk and Run event Saturday, May 21