UWRT 1102-010

Debra Jizi
Kristel Hicinbothem
17 March 2016
Double Entry Journal
Winkle, Melissa, Terry K. Crowe, and Ingrid Hendrix. "Service Dogs and People with
Physical Disabilities Partnerships: A Systematic Review." Occup. Ther. Int.
Occupational Therapy International 19.1 (2011): 54-66. Web.
From the text
The Delta Society, an international
human services organization that
facilitates humananimal interactions,
refers to casual visitations as animalassisted activities (AAA) (Delta Society,
2009).
1.Guide dogs assist individuals who have
visual disabilities or are blind (SachsEricsson et al., 2002; Assistance Dogs
International, 2009a)
2. Hearing dogs assist individuals who
are hard of hearing or are deaf (Guest et
al., 2006; Assistance Dogs International,
2009b).
3. Service dogs are trained to assist
people who have mobility and balance
challenges, to alert or respond to
medical issues such as diabetes and
seizures and to support people with
psychiatric disabilities and autism
(Assistance Dogs International, 2009c).
Service dogs may help to conserve
energy and prevent further injury by
activating devices and door openers,
assisting with obtaining supplies and
helping people undress.
They can retrieve dropped items, drag a
laundry basket, and provide counter
balance for transitional movements. In
addition, they may detect and respond
to medical crisis including carrying

Responses
I had no idea that there was a huge
organization that dealt with humananimal interactions. This is something I
am really interested in and I hope to
learn a lot more as this project
continues.
I think its interesting that there are
different types of dogs that help people.
I didnt know that they named the dogs
differently for different disabilities. I
thought that they were all just called
service dogs.

These are simple ways that service dogs

help those with physical disabilities to
keep up their energy.

It is crazy to think that a dog can do all

this. People think that dogs are just
pointless animals but they are so much
more. They can save someone from
dying when sometimes not even another

medications, alerting to monitors,

retrieving a phone, using a switch to call
emergency services, and going for help
(Assistance Dogs International, 2009c).
The purpose of this study is to review
the literature focused on the use of
service dogs for people with mobilityrelated physical disabilities.

person could do it.

The search excluded papers using terms

relating to disabilities not covered by
this review, such as visual or hearing
impaired, mental disorders or autism.
Service dogs seem to positively
influence socialization and community
participation in a variety of
environments.

I might use these kinds of service dogs

to branch off for my next source.

Two studies observed partnerships in

natural environments (Eddy et al., 1988;
Mader et al., 1989) and reported that
community members smiled and
conversed with children and adults with
service dogs more than children and
adults without service dogs, and
community members did not avoid the
person with a disability as much when a
service dog was present.
Children and adults with physical
disabilities report that service dogs most
commonly assist them with retrieving
items out of reach, opening doors,
getting around the community, getting
around the house, shopping, and the dog
barking to alert others in emergencies
(Lane et al., 1998; Fairman & Huebner,
2000; Rintala et al., 2008).
Studies from the United States, Japan
and the UK found that people with
physical disabilities partnered with
service dogs reported several
psychological benefits including

I could see how service dogs do

positively influence communities. There
was a service dog at my high school for
one of the students and it seemed like
whenever they were around, people
were more positive and happier.
I can definitely see this happening as I
am less shy with people that have
service dogs. I would be much more
likely to go up and talk to someone if
they had a service dog rather than if
they did not.

This talks about all the things service

dogs do, including barking to alert others
when there is an emergency. I still do not
quite understand how the dogs can know
when their partner is having an
emergency.

I think it is amazing that people with

disabilities can become happier with
themselves just by having a service dog.
Dogs do so much for us and I wish that
everyone could see it. I dont have a

significant increases in self-esteem,

internal locus of control, well-being and
positive affect (Allen & Blascovich, 1996;
Rintala et al., 2002; Collins et al., 2006;
Shintani et al., 2010).
Participants reported that whereas there
were few issues, overall physical
maintenance (grooming and vet bills)
was the biggest problem. Other issues
included being challenged or denied
access into a public facility or affordable
housing, inappropriate petting of the
service dog while it was working, or
inappropriate behavior of the dog in
public.
As members of the interdisciplinary team
and as client advocates, we may directly
support our clients by becoming
educated about the skills that all
assistance dogs (including service dogs)
offer, become familiar with local
assistance dog training organization
options and offer to work directly with
the dog-training organizations to
determine whether or not clients are
good candidates for assistance dog use.

disability but I know I would be happier if

I just had a dog that I did everything with
and took everywhere with me.

I thought that if the dog was a certified

service dog, public facilities are
supposed to let them in. Someone
should not be denied service because
they have a dog, especially if they need
them for the good of their health.

I didnt know that people with disabilities

sometimes were denied service dogs. I
think that anyone with a disability that
thinks having a service dog would better
them should be able to get one.