Mindy Todd, The Point

WOODS HOLE, MA (WCAI) — Service Dogs are essential in the day to day life of many people- individuals who are blind or low vision, those who have difficulty hearing, or remembering to take medication. Service Dogs can even alert people before they have seizure or if their blood sugar is getting too low. Not only are the dogs trained to perform tasks for their handlers, they create opportunity for independence, and provide companionship. Today we talk about service dogs, how they’re different from therapy or emotional support animals, and what it takes to train and pair a dog with an individual.

Kara Milotte, Client Services Manager for NEADS, joins the conversation along with Lynn Stas, Region Coordinator for Guiding Eyes for the Blind Eastern Massachusetts, Doe Zottoli, a puppy raiser for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and Amy Bower, Senior Scientist and physical oceanographer at WHOI, who has used service dogs for 20 years to assist as she has lost most of her vision due to retinal degeneration.

Listen to the interview here.