Breeding for the Ultimate Assistance Dog

When we speak of "assistance dogs," we include service dogs, therapy dogs and companion dogs.

Service dogs are clearly defined under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA). A service dog is one which provides a service for a person with a disability. They include hearing alert dogs (which can alert their owner to a doorbell or emergency alarm), seizure alert dogs (which alert their owners to an oncoming seizure, or can alert a caregiver to a seizure in progress), guide dogs (for individuals with visual disabilities), and psychological support dogs (which help individuals on medications or with post traumatic stress syndrome). Support dogs are used by people who need physical support or assistance when they lose their balance. Other jobs for service dogs can include pulling wheelchairs, turning lights on or off, opening drawers, and bringing a needed item to a person with a disability.

Therapy dogs (which are NOT legally considered to be service dogs) provide the warm, emotional support for which our canine friends are so famous. Most often, you'll see therapy dogs used in public settings such as care homes, hospitals and schools. However, there is a growing awareness that the individual with disabilities can derive great benefits from a personal therapy dog in their private home. Children with autism, who may be emotionally withdrawn, can benefit from a therapy dog who gently insists on human contact. Those with sensory integration disorders can slowly be desensitized to a wide spectrum of types of contact by a caring, affectionate dog who is gently persistent in its contacts with the owner. Summer's daughter Hannah, for instance, was long unable to tolerate any touch to her face without gagging. Coco Pops' persistence in giving Hannah soft, gentle kisses on her face has resulted in elimination of this gag reaction, making it easier for Hannah's therapists to perform oral motor skill therapies as well.

At Paradise Labradoodles, we are striving to produce dogs with the intelligence, intuitiveness and gentleness essential to a service or therapy dog. By concentrating on breeding for the fleece coat, we are also hoping to produce dogs that will be allergy friendly, as opposed to the traditional breeds of golden retrievers and labradors that are usually used for service and therapy dog training. Our puppies are socialized for loud noises, introduced to a great number of people at an early age, and raised with our own children with disabilities, so that we can take advantage of the inherent nature of the labradoodle in producing excellent prospects for training as service or therapy dogs.

But all that means that you don't need to be a person with a disability to enjoy our dogs. Companion dogs are that perfect pet every one of us has imagined, ever since we grew up on "Lassie."

Imagine a dog that will immediately sit at your feet when you stop moving, accepting your loving attention yet not demanding it in an obnoxious manner! Your labradoodle will gladly follow you from room to room, finding a spot to rest close to you, while not imposing on your personal space. And best of all, imagine a dog who will gaze lovingly into your eyes, with understanding and comprehension...

And you will be imagining a labradoodle!