The St. Louis Chapter of Service Dogs, Inc., founded in 1983, is the national headquarters of an organization that provides service dogs at no cost to clients facing physical and emotional challenges. I met with several representatives of Support Dogs, Inc. in the district last week to discuss the organization’s contributions to our community. As a physical therapist, I am very familiar with the therapeutic benefits of support dogs, including greater independence and emotional grounding.
Support Dogs, Inc. originally trained dogs to help individuals with mobility-related tasks, such as opening doors, removing shoes, and picking up dropped objects. The organization has expanded its mission and now trains dogs to alert hearing-impaired clients to certain signals, psychiatric service dogs for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and canine-assisted activity dogs for therapy sessions.
Support Dogs, Inc. also reaches out to the community to share the benefits of canine companionship. Through the Therapy of Unique Canine Helpers (TOUCH) program, certified volunteers and their trained dogs visit patients in St. Louis medical facilities. Interacting with dogs cheers up adult and child patients alike and helps relieve stress.
The PAWS for Reading program places trained dogs in St. Louis classrooms and libraries to encourage children to read. Children have reported that reading to a dog gives them confidence in their abilities and a reason to practice reading. This program has also improved participating children’s literacy skills and word recognition.
At http://www.supportdogs.org/ you can learn more about the organization, available services, and volunteer opportunities.
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Representative Sue Allen 