International Assistance Dog Week

This week is International Assistance Dog Week (IADW).  IADW was created to recognize of all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate their disability-related limitations.  Though I am not an Assistance Dog, I know several including very good friend Carma Poodale.

                 

Carma is a medical alert/mobility dog for a person who has MS.  She helps brace her human when getting up and down (beds, seats) as well as walking from room to room.   Carma can  sense when her human is tired and will nudge her human towards a chair (or someplace where he or she can lean).  She also provides reminders when it is time to take medication. Like all mobility dogs, Carma is also able to pull a wheel chair , fetch a cane and retrieve dropped items. 

Assistance Dogs transform the lives of their human partners and during International Assistance Dog Week, everyone is encouraged to:

• recognize and honor these hardworking assistance dogs;
• raise awareness and educate the public about how these specially trained dogs are aiding so many people in our communities;
• honor the puppy raisers and trainers of assistance dogs; and
• recognize heroic deeds performed by assistance dogs in our communities.

Do you know an Assistance Dog that you can recognize during International Assistance Dog Week?

For more information about Assistance Dogs and current laws, you can visit the
International Association of Assistance Dog Partners HERE.

For more information about International Assistance Dog Week and how you can help support this great effort and raise awareness of the many amazing Assistance Dogs, like Carma, you can visit the
International Assistance Dog Week site HERE.