Poster Presentation The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ): 27th Annual Conference 2018

Dogs placed by ADI or IGDF accredited facilities in North America and non-accredited U.S. facilities emphasizing history and roles. (#215)

Sandra Walther 1 , Mariko Yamamoto 1 , Abigail Thigpen 1 , Neil H Willits 2 , Lynette A Hart 1
  1. University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA, United States
  2. Statistical Lab, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States

With little surveillance, assistance dogs’ roles have rapidly diversified to support people with various disabilities, especially in the U.S. We present here data from North America, gathered by email during a worldwide survey of facilities (Walther et al. 2017), from member and candidate organizations of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) on the numbers and types of dogs they placed in 2013 and 2014 with persons who have disabilities. Attempts were also made to contact non-accredited service dog training groups in the United States. Results from 55 North American responding accredited facilities show placements of 2,374 dogs, as well as results from 22 non-accredited U.S. facilities that placed 797 dogs. Established in 1929, recent guide dog (n = 918) U.S. placements are roughly tied with mobility dogs (n = 943), placed since 1973. Unlike mobility dogs, guide dogs are the primary role of dog placed by their accredited organizations. ADI’s service category encompasses both mobility dogs and newer roles: autism, psychiatric, diabetes, and seizures. Mobility dogs were placed by more North American organizations than were guide dogs, not always as the primary role placed. Autism dogs were third most numerous for 2013-2014 (n = 205), and also third for U.S. non-accredited facilities (n = 72); the number placed by accredited facilities increased by 16% from 2013-2014. Psychiatric dogs placed fourth in North American accredited placements (n = 119), even surpassing hearing dogs, and in non-accredited U.S. facilities, accounting for the most (n = 526). Other North American accredited placements of service dogs were: fifth, hearing (n=109); sixth, diabetic alert (n=69), and seventh, seizure alert (n=11). Responding non-accredited facilities placed 17 hearing dogs, 30 diabetic alert dogs, and 18 seizure alert/response dogs. The newer psychiatric service dogs are in large demand for veterans and non-veterans alike, but relatively few were placed by accredited organizations. Non-accredited organizations filled the gap. Also newer, autism service dogs are more commonly accepted and are frequently placed even by the accredited organizations.

  1. Walther S, Yamamoto M, Thigpen AP, Garcia A, Willits NH, Hart LA. 2017. Assistance dogs: Historic patterns and roles of dogs placed by accredited facilities and by non-accredited U.S. facilities. Front. Vet. Sci., 19 January 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2017.00001