Most common service dog 'a Chihuahua'

Friday, 12 March 2010 20:20

Service pet dogs - canine companions who aid their human owners with health conditions - are typically stereotyped in the guise of a Labrador leading a blind person.

However, according to the Winona Daily News, such an image is a misconception - the most common service dogs are actually Chihuahuas.

Anne Wicklund, owner of Service Dog Registry, tells the newspaper that around 70 per cent of the service licenses she gives out go to owners of pooches around the size of a Yorkshire terrier.

"People don't understand the very different kinds of things dogs can alert to. Size is irrelevant. You don't have to be big to alert to problems," she explains.

Service canines can be granted for a range of medical problems, including high blood pressure, depression, deafness and epilepsy.

One puppy walker - someone who helps put guide dogs through socialisation dog training - recently told the North Shore Times that she found her hobby very rewarding and educational.

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Posted by Elaine