4 4 17 animals helping people (science)

Animals that help human beings with their daily lives are called service animals.. Other animals, like monkeys, ponies, and cats, also work as service animals.. What Is a Service Dog?Dog

Helping People

by Carol Ann Greenhalgh

by Carol Ann Greenhalgh

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ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02334-2

ISBN-10: 0-547-02334-0

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Animals

Helping People

Have you ever seen a German Shepherd waiting patiently to lead a person across a busy street? Animals that help human beings with their daily lives are called service animals Other animals, like monkeys, ponies, and

cats, also work as service animals Because all

of these animals have special jobs, they are allowed to go anywhere that humans can go

Service dogs may go wherever their human partner goes.

What Is a Service Dog?

Dogs have been used to help blind people

for many years These smart dogs, often called guide dogs, are trained to give their human

partners confidence as they go everywhere

together They know when the path is safe or if there is something dangerous to avoid

A good guide dog always obeys its human partner However, sometimes a dog must

disobey its partner in order to save his or her

life Perhaps the person orders the dog to

go forward, but a tree has fallen across the

sidewalk A guide dog will refuse to go ahead

so that the person will realize that something

is wrong

Dorothy Eustis helped bring guide dogs to America.

History of Service Dogs

A German doctor named Gerard Stalling used his German Shepherd to help men who had become blind in World War I He then decided to train dogs to take care of the blind

An American named Dorothy Harrison Eustis heard about Stalling’s work and wrote an article about him for a magazine

After being trained, Buddy led Morris Frank through the streets of New York.

A blind man named Morris Frank heard

about the article and contacted Eustis He

wanted a dog for himself, but he also wanted

to bring guide dogs to the United States

Together, he and Eustis trained Buddy, the first service dog for the blind in America

Eustis and Frank started a school in 1929 called The Seeing Eye to train dogs Today, guide dogs are used by thousands of blind

people around the world They perform a

service by allowing individuals to live on their own without having to depend on others These dogs are a symbol of independence

Service dogs wear a special harness or vest, and they do not behave like pets while they are working Their job is to pay close attention to their human partner and to keep them out of harm’s way A constant supply of love and care from their partner is their reward

Training a Service Dog

A young service dog lives with a foster

family The family helps the puppy get used to noise, busy places, and lots of people They take the dog everywhere so that it gets used to many different places and experiences

When the dog is old enough, it is tested

to make sure that it has the right personality

Then it goes to school

If this puppy learns its

lessons and has the

right personality, it will

become a service dog.

Training school teaches a service dog the important things that it needs to know This includes how to find a door and when to cross

a street

When a dog is almost ready to graduate from training school, it is matched with a

person When the two have learned to work well together, there is a ceremony

The dog and the person train together on things that the person needs help with.

This hearing dog

is barking to let its human partner know that

someone is at the door.

Other Jobs for Service Dogs

In addition to helping those who are

blind, service dogs aid people who can’t hear,

individuals in wheelchairs, and those who have various illnesses

When service dogs work with people who can’t hear, they let them know when the phone rings or an alarm goes off They give a warning

if there are unusual noises or if someone is at

the door

Service dogs help people in wheelchairs in many different ways They pick up dropped items and pull wheelchairs up a hill They turn lights on, open doors, and some even pull clothes out of the dryer

Some dogs can sense when something is about to happen, even before a person knows One woman’s service dog tells her when she is about to faint by placing its paws on her chest

A guide dog named Orient helped his human partner Bill Irwin become the first blind person ever to complete the Appalachian Trail in 1990

Together, they hiked 2,144 miles from Georgia to Maine

Service Monkeys

Monkeys have been used as service animals since 1979 A group called Helping Hands

trains monkeys to help quadriplegics These

are people who are paralyzed from the neck

down With a monkey, many of them can live independent lives

The capuchin monkey can be trained

to become a great service animal.

Capuchin monkeys are used as service

animals because they are small, curious, and adjust well to working with people They are helpful with computers and with helping people eat and drink Monkeys also live from 20 to 30 years or more This is much longer than service dogs, which usually live between 10 and 20 years, depending on their size

A capuchin monkey can even turn the pages of a book.

Ponies and Other Animals

Miniature ponies are used in the same way

as guide dogs They are only about two feet tall Ponies have great memories and see well in the dark Like dogs, they live in the house and tell the owner when they need to go outside They even wear little shoes to help them walk on

slippery floors

The features of a miniature pony make it a perfect service animal.

People are even training cats successfully One woman confesses that her cat rides in a basket attached to her wheelchair so they can

go everywhere together

Living an independent life is important to everyone The creative use of animals to make this possible is a wonderful gift to any person who needs the help

Cats can also be

trained to help

their owners.

TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Notice

that the vocabulary word performs ends in -s

or -ed What other words can you think of that

end in -s or -ed? Copy and complete the chart

below.

Write About It

Text to World Think about the many ways

service animals help people Write a short

paragraph that explains why people believe

these animals are special and why we need

them Use two words from the Word Builder.

-s -ed

plays

?

?

worked

?

?

TARGET VOCABULARY

ceremony

confesses

confidence

disobey

foster

graduate patiently performs reward symbol

TARGET STRATEGY Summarize Briefly tell the important parts of the text in your own words.

Use one of the vocabulary words twice to complete the sentence below.

She liked to her dog with a tasty

when he did a trick.

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02334-2 ISBN-10: 0-547-02334-0

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: N

DRA: 34

Science

Strategy:

Summarize

Word Count: 1,016