Types of Service/Assistance Dogs Provided By NICE



Hearing Dogs:  A Hearing Dog is specially trained to assist a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. The dog is trained to respond to sounds such as a smoke alarm, baby crying, doorbell, alarm clock etc. and alert his or her deaf partner that these sounds have occurred.

ADL Service Dogs/Mobility Dogs: These  dogs assist people who have problems with mobility including those with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, CP, down's syndrome, arthritis, or other conditions that may cause poor balance.  These dogs assist in teh activities of daily living that each and every person must complete to have a full and normal life.  These dogs are taught to turn on light switches, open doors, do laundry, make-up beds, carry items in backpacks, bark to alert for help, pick up things that are dropped or out of reach, pull wheel chairs, and help a person rise from a sitting position.

Service Dogs for School-Based Therapy: These specially trained dogs are paired with social workers, therapists, and teachers who work with children who have physical, emotional or developmental disabilities. They are integrated into the educational curriculum as motivators and serve as an innovative teaching tool for the children.

Canines For War Heroes: These dogs are specially trained to assist military personnel who may have a wide variety of physical and emotional issues including PSTD.

Canine Church Comfort Dogs: These dogs know skills such as retrieving things that are dropped, opening doors or cabinets, turning on and off light switches and more. They are placed with a minister, priest, monk, friar or rabbi in a spiritual setting; or as a chaplain in an institutional setting. The dog accompanies the spiritual or religious person in  her duties including visiting those in hospitals, nursing homes or private residences, conducting worship services, greeting parishioners, funerals, disaster relief, meetings and day to day activities through the community.  They also accompany the spiritual expert on pastoral calls, are present during worship,  and provide comfort to those who are distressed.  This dog has been specifically trained to help  ministerial counseling, reduce emotional and psychological stress and promote congregational harmony.

Diabetic Alert Dogs:  Diabetic Alert Service Dogs detect & alert their diabetic partner and support team  to both low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) & high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).

Autism Service Dogs: NICE provides uniquely trained service dogs to children living with autism and their families. The placement of a dog with the child enables the child and family to increase their mobility and socialization as a family, and the child individually. The dog accompanies the child at all times when the child leaves home. The dog goes to school with the child and the presence of the dog calms the child, reduces emotional outbursts and serves as a positive social link for the child to their home, school and community.

Parkinson's Service Dogs:  In addition to the tremors and stiffness that Parkinson's patients experience, they also face a problem called 'freezing.' Their feet freeze in place, while the rest of their body keeps moving, causing the person to fall. As a result, some people with Parkinson's may tend to become sedentary, reluctant to move, and reclusive. Parkinson's helper dogs have been trained to identify when a person with Parkinson's is 'freezing.' If the dog touches the person's foot, it breaks the freeze and the person can continue walking.  In addition to breaking the 'freeze,' the dogs are taught to prevent their partners from falling by counterbalancing and helping them regain their footing. Dogs are trained to find help if the person falls down.

Emotional Support Service Dogs:  Dogs  can assist people with mental or emotional disorders reduce symptom-inducing stress by providing medical intervention and support.  People with emotional and mental disabilities, and society as a whole, benefit from these specially-trained service dogs. Their ability to provide medically mandated, task-specific benefits  aid their owners.