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Variety of Furry Helpers Dogs can be a big help for people with
disabilities; © clix/SXC When disability or illness makes it
difficult to open a door, pick up keys or call for help, a
service dog might ease these frustrations of daily living. There
are many different ways that service dogs help people manage
their disabilities. The modern era of service dogs began after
World War I, when dogs were trained to guide blind war veterans.
Since then, service dogs have been trained in many specialties:
Skilled assistance dogs are trained to help those who are
physically disabled. They can open doors, pull wheelchairs, turn
on lights, retrieve the telephone or summon help. Hearing dogs
alert their handlers to alarm clocks, doorbells, smoke alarms,
approaching vehicles or someone calling the handler's name.
There are also Diabetes response dogs which carry objects such
as juice bottles. They can retrieve a phone or sniff the
handler's breath for low blood s