Providing hope at both ends of the leash
Alert Dog Division
The purpose of the Medical Alert division is to provide dogs who are trained to assist adults and children with medical response tasks and regulation support.
These dogs are trained to respond to the cues of the handler or the environment in order to keep the handler safe. The dog may be trained to respond to physiological signals from a handler that is experiencing physiological distress. The dog may also be trained to notify the handler of environmental things of importance such as sirens or alarms to a handler that is hard of hearing. These dogs perform tasks such as deep pressure therapy, guiding the client to exits or safety, and alerting the client to their level of escalation with tasks such as nose bumping or pawing at the client. Psych dogs can also perform tasks such as turning on lights, and retrieving medication. Clients who benefit from this type of dog are kids or adults with conditions such as Autism, PTSD, Anxiety, Deafness.
Tasks a Medical Alert Dog Can Preform
Physiological Response
A properly matched and well trained team can learn to work in to be alerted to the clients physiological changes such as heart rate, blood pressure, tremors. The dog can assists by on being taught to strategic pressure to various parts of your body to calm this dysregulation
Medical Response Tasks
A team who has built a very symbiotic relationship built on trust can work together to have in an emergency situation have the dog: retrieve medication either on command or at the training of an alarm, retrieve supplies; calming tools (fidget toys, wieghted blanket, headphones), phone, and push a medical alert button or retrieving another human (this is taught for in the home only)
Hearing Tasks
A team that has been appropriately trained can utilize the dog to alert the handler to; Smoke alarms, Fire Alarms, Door bells, Handlers name, Phone, baby crying.