How dogs with jobs are making the world a better place.

How dogs with jobs are making the world a better place.
While many dogs are household pets with unofficial jobs that help their families (Delivery Alert System, Walk Reminder, Snuggle Director, etc.), some special dogs do real jobs that uniquely serve their families or communities. Here are some important jobs that dogs can do.
Dog lovers already know that dogs make their lives better every day. But dogs with jobs have a distinct role in serving their communities.
Warrior Canine Connection trains and matches service dogs with veterans with physical disabilities. These job dogs help veterans and their families heal and return to everyday life after service to their country. The trainers who work with the dogs before they are placed with their new families are veterans and service members who have suffered post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injuries. So the dogs get to work helping people as soon as they start training. After graduation, the dogs become lifelong partners for disabled veterans, with the important job of providing mobility and social support.
Oknooshoon created Armenia's first therapy dog certification process, a tool they use to give rescue dogs a new life and help people in need. Oknooshoon turns rescue dogs into therapy dogs that work in facilities for youth and people with disabilities. After training and certification, these working dogs perform therapeutic interventions , including facilitated group activities. Oknooshoon staff also conduct educational visits with their partner facilities to teach communities how to safely interact with dogs. Through positive interactions between humans and dogs, the organization helps to combat stigma against mixed-breed dogs and rescue dogs.
In Cambodia, experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of landmines litter the countryside after decades of war, forcing large areas of land to remain deserted. That's why APOPO vzw is training dogs to put on their elite noses to work detecting landmines . The dogs are equipped with smart GPS backpacks that transmit images and allow communication with their human counterparts. The dogs pause when they identify landmines, and the humans record the positions so that the landmines can be safely eliminated. These dogs with jobs are making the land safe for communities to drill wells and plant.
For people with epilepsy, dogs trained to respond to seizures can alert others and call for help when (or just before) seizures occur. The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation (CHF) offers grants to match this type of service dog with families of people affected by epilepsy. In addition to detecting seizures and getting help, the dogs can carry medicine and even find a safe area for their partner to lie down if needed! Their work can save lives and prevent complications, including sudden and unexpected death in epilepsy.
Farmers in Namibia often blame and kill cheetahs for lost cattle. The Cheetah Conservation Fund breeds and distributes special dogs with the job of protecting goats and other animals from cheetahs. This keeps the cattle and cheetahs safe. The dogs bond with their human families and alert their herds to approaching predators. Usually, their barking alone scares off predators!
Dogs are truly amazing animals with abilities that allow them to serve in impactful roles beyond their status as family members.