Question:
assistance in buying a dog?
2009-04-29 23:07:13 UTC
I am looking for a doberman to be my seizure alert service dog. The prices I am finding are outrageous, I know the dog is a full breed and trained, but how do these people expect a disabled person to pay so much money? Does anyone know of some kind of insurance or grant program that assists in paying for a service dog? any help will be appreciated.
Seven answers:
Fledchen
2009-05-02 04:14:41 UTC
You can't train a dog to alert. It's something they have to figure out on their own, and then you train them a particular appropriate signal to let you know what they have detected.



What you *can* train is seizure response work. These are tasks that a dog is trained to perform to assist you and keep you safe during and after a seizure. These tasks can include keeping you away from things that might hurt you during a seizure, clearing your airway to keep you from choking if you tend to vomit during a seizure, and using a special kind of telephone that automatically dials emergency services using a big button that a dog can trigger using its nose or paw.



Training this kind of work can be more difficult and expensive than other kinds of service dogs, because the dog has to remember what to do, and do it reliably, without being given a command. A guide dog for a blind person is told by its handler to go left, right, or forward. A service dog for a person in a wheelchair is told to pick up a dropped object, or perhaps to trigger an electronic door opener. But, a person having a seizure, or often even after a seizure, is not in any shape to command or control a dog. These dogs have to be even more sure of what they are doing, and less likely to misbehave and need correction than most other kinds of service dogs. So, if the trainer you are considering is charging thousands of dollars, they are well within the industry standard for estimating the cost of training.



Most reputable service dog organizations will help you with fundraising. Have you contacted your local Lions Club? They are a community organization that often helps people with disabilities raise funds for medical equipment and assistive devices, including service dogs.
?
2009-05-02 07:59:32 UTC
I don't believe there are any grants for owner-training. You'd have to do your own fundraising. I've been in the industry for 10 years and have never heard of any.



You can't really train a dog to alert to seizures. To do so you'd have to be able to control the seizures and cause them to happen on demand or at least be able to detect them before they started.



Dogs either alert naturally or don't. About 15% of dogs do according to a study published in a Canadian medical journal. I wouldn't restrict myself to just one breed. I'd take any alert dog I could get. I recommend going through a program. Paws with a Cause comes to mind as a possibility.
Jay S
2009-04-29 23:24:10 UTC
Actually it is expensive only because of the training. A seizure alert dog need not be a pedigree at all. It can be any old mix. But as one respondent here put it, not all dogs can be trained for such advanced work. There is a lot of trial and error until they find the perfect dog with the necessary skills for the task. Hence the high cost.
?
2009-04-29 23:17:20 UTC
My dog is seizure alert trained. I did it myself. It cost a lot for one of these dogs because you have no IDEA the work and training that goes into a very carefully selected dog. If you receive ssi or ss, see if they have a program that may help you or contact your local Department of Human Services and ask them about services available. Or, you can research a breed suited to your family and lifestyle and train the dog yourself. It is good therapy for the both of you! Good luck.
2009-04-29 23:16:46 UTC
Do you have a social worker? Many times these services are through donations and the dogs are given to a needy person. Talk to your social worker. I have a friend who's deaf that was looking for a dog to be trained as a hearing dog. Two of us friends(maybe more) were sent forms to fill out from some Minnesota Service Dog place for references. They were going to give her one. We found out they denied her a dog after getting our references, due to the many things we wrote, but that's beside the point. She would have made a bad owner, even if she was our friend. But talk to your social worker.
Nekkid Truth!
2009-04-29 23:11:37 UTC
the training costs a lot of money.. not all dogs can be trained as a seizure alert dog either.



Try searching on the Delta Society site.. you might find resources there to help you..

http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=257
2009-04-29 23:14:36 UTC
wont the government help u pay for it??


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