Sky Lewis

Service dog Carter sits outside waiting to work.

Service dogs are periodically present on school campuses, and LSHS has had a service dog on campus for the last three years. At the beginning of each year the student body is notified that a service dog will be present.

What are service animals? The Americans with Disabilities Act defines Service animals as dogs ”that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” Service dogs are trained to work not play.

There are differences between service dogs and regular pets. A service dog can go into grocery stores, malls, hospitals whereas pets are not allowed in public buildings when there are signs posted that say no pets allowed.

Service dogs are highly trained to alert their handler when they sense something is wrong with their handler. They can detect when someone is going to have a seizure, when their blood sugar is too low or too high, when an anxiety attack is going to happen, and other physiological issues.

Some people have had bad experiences with dogs and may feel scared when they see a dog based on their past trauma.

“I hate dogs, I was mauled by one when I was ten and I don’t trust them. Dogs are horrible and shouldn’t even be kept as pets, let alone allowed at school,” sophomore Carrigan MacDonald said.

Service dogs are trained between 18 months to two and a half years. And during that training what is being looked for is good temperament, basic obedience, public access skills and specialized tasks.

A service dog is a working dog and so people should always pretend that there is no dog. By doing that, it makes it so that the dog does not become distracted from taking care of their handler.

“I feel like it is nice, I like it because the people who need service dogs would be able to have a better learning experience. The dog could be needed for mental health but also could be for a medical condition. Yes, I do believe that others should contain themselves more around the dog because they are doing their job just like a teacher who they would not just interrupt in the middle of doing something important,” sophomore Rylie Quimby said.

They may be trained to help guide people if they are blind or deaf. Service dogs can turn light switches off, remind their handler to take their medication, and can keep a protective circle around their handler. If a service dog is trained to calm somebody with PTSD or anxiety, or any other disorder, they will nudge their handler’s hand, lay down at their feet, rest their head on their lap if they are seated, or jump up on their handler to tell them that they are in a safe place.

Some people will question if the handler really needs the dog, but not all needs are visible; some are internal, and some are mental.

“I don’t mind it. I think the dog is well behaved and she’s a nice person. I do think it is questionable, but it’s rude to accuse her of not needing the dog.” 12th grader Jackson Hall said.