Industry Information

Assistance Dog Roles

Assistance Dogs help people with disabilities be more self-sufficient. They "see" for blind people; "hear" for deaf people; offer mobility for people in wheelchairs; and offer therapy and love to people who are lonely or sick.

Did you know that some Assistance Dogs, known as Service Dogs, turn lights on and off for their owners who can't use their arms? They can also push elevator buttons, pull wheelchairs and retrieve items for their owner.

When you see a person with a Guide Dog, you'll know that the Guide Dog helps guide its owner around obstacles and alert him or her to street curbs and traffic.

You may not have known that there are dogs for deaf people, too. These special dogs let their owners know when the telephone rings or if the smoke alarm or alarm clock goes off. They can even alert their person to a baby's cry.

Another special Assistance Dog is a Social/Therapy Dog. These dogs provide unconditional love to people who can't have a dog because of their disability, illness or age. These dogs make special visits to places like hospitals and nursing homes.

Dogs are often called "Man's best friend". Now you know that some dogs are even more than friends. For people with disabilities, Assistance Dogs make possible the things that are sometimes taken for granted.

Access Rights

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Federal and state laws provide access rights for service animals. Three Federal laws cover access for the following locations:

Airlines - Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (ACAA)

The first Federal legislation to directly address public access rights of people with disabilities who have service animals was the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986. The act amended the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to provide that prohibitions of discrimination against handicapped people apply to air carriers. Regulations clarify that air carriers must permit "dogs and other service animals used by handicapped people to accompany the people on a flight". As a result of these 1986 stipulations regarding air transport, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act does not reference air carriers in its Title II and III transportation requirements.

Public Places - The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

Section 36.302(c) of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires public accommodations generally to modify policies, practices, and procedures to accommodate the use of service animals in places of public accommodation.

Service animal means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
Place of public accommodation means a facility, operated by a private entity, whose operations affect commerce and fall within at least one of the following categories:

- Places of lodging
- Establishments serving food or drink
- Places of exhibition or entertainment
- Places of public gathering
- Sales or rental establishments
- Service establishments
- Stations used for specified public transportation
- Places of public display or collection
- Places of recreation
- Places of education
- Social service center establishments
- Places of exercise or recreation

The Delta Society's website is an excellent reference. Click the links below to refer to The Delta Society's access information about Housing and Traveling. The Delta Society also provides a list of Consultants and Educators who may be of help.

 

Etiquette with Assistance Dogs

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In general, when you meet a person with an assistance dog, please remember that the dog is working. You don’t want anything to interrupt the dog from performing its tasks.

A few specifics:
- Speak to the person first.
- Do not make distracting noises aimed at the assistance dog.
- Do not touch the assistance dog without asking permission.
- Do not feed the assistance dog.
- Do not ask personal questions about the handler’s disability or intrude on his or her privacy.
- Don’t be offended if the handler declines to chat about the assistance dog.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bergin University of Canine Studies (BUCS) General

Q: How do I arrange a visit to BUCS’s campus?

A: The University welcomes visitors! To schedule a visit to our Santa Rosa Campus, please call 707.545.3647 and ask for our Community Relations staff. Tours are given weekly. We are happy to show you around our training facility. You can look in on classes in session, see videos that have been done on our work, meet the staff, and pet some dogs! (Please do not bring your own dog with you, unless it’s an Assistance Dog).

Q: Can you provide a speaker to make a presentation at our event?

A: Our PR and Community Relations staff members are happy to work with you to accommodate your requests. Please contact info@berginu.org

Q: Is BUCS associated with Canine Companions for Independence?

A: Dr. Bonita Bergin, our President and CEO, founded Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) over 30 years ago. Bergin University of Canine Studies (BUCS), home of the Assistance Dog Institute, is not affiliated with CCI.

Q: Are donations to BUCS tax deductible?

A: Yes, BUCS is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation and, as such, your contributions are tax deductible.

Q: What’s the difference between a Service Dog and an Assistance Dog?

A: A Service Dog helps people that have mobility impairments by doing such tasks as opening doors, pulling a wheelchair and retrieving dropped objects. They are one type of Assistance Dog. Some other types of Assistance Dogs are Hearing Dogs, Guide Dogs and Social/Therapy dogs.

Our Dogs

Q: Can I get a Service Dog from BUCS? How do I apply?
A: How to request a Service Dog from BUCS is described in detail in "Our Dogs and Pups" section of this site.

Q: How long is the wait for a Service Dog from BUCS?

A: On average, the timeframe is 18 to 24 months. We use social style matching between a person and a dog to identify an optimum pairing of a Service Dog team. So, it depends on when a dog that is the correct match is available.

Q: What is the fee to obtain a Service Dog?

A: The fee is $2783. This includes $25 application fee, $558 for client training and $2200 for the service dog.

Q: Do you train Seizure Alert Dogs?

A: Our college curriculum includes training methodology for Service Dogs, Hearing Dogs, Guide Dogs, and Social/Therapy Dogs. We do not train Seizure Alert Dogs.

Q: What breeds of dogs are most successful as Service Dogs?

A: Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and crosses between these two breeds are the breeds most commonly trained and placed by many programs. However, individual dogs of many other breeds and breed crosses have been successfully placed as Service Dogs as long as they have the right aptitude for their job.

Q: Do you use rescued dogs?

A: We find that having our own breeding program enables us to reliably produce topnotch Service Dogs with low-aroused temperament and high levels of skill. We do train rescued dogs as Hearing Dogs however.

Q: What is your graduation rate (% of dogs graduating vs. dogs that begin training)?

A: One of the challenges in the industry is that the graduation rates are often as low as 30%. Our research in early puppyhood training is aimed at dramatically improving that statistic.

Q: What happens to the dogs that don’t graduate? Can I adopt one?
A: BUCS is proud to have a high rate of dogs that graduate as Service Dogs, Facility Dogs and Social/Therapy Dogs. Infrequently a released dog may be available for adoption.

BUCS University Programs

Q: Do you accept international applicants? Are there any special requirements?

A: Yes, BUCS welcomes international students. Students must follow the procedures regulated by their F-1 visa status. Immigrant visa residents must provide their assigned “A-number” or verification of legal residency in California. BUCS offers no visa services. Classes are taught in English so proficiency is critical. Applicants whose native language is not English and who did not attend a secondary school or college where English was the language of instruction, are required to provide their TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test results. No formal tests are administered for those applicants who did attend a secondary school or college where English was the language of instruction. The individual interview [in person or by phone] and email communications between the applicant, the Chief Academic Officer, and University staff will be used to assess the language skills of the applicant.

Q: Does the college offer programs other than the Associate of Science degrees?

A: Yes, in addition to AS degrees in Assistance Dog Education and in Business and Companion Dog Studies, we offer a Bachelor’s degree in Cynology (canine studies) and a Master’s degree in Canine Life Sciences. Several certificate programs are also offered.

Access Rights

Q: Are business owners required to allow Assistance Dogs on planes, trains, in rental housing, hotels, shops restaurants etc.

A: Yes, in the United States, there are both federal and state laws that mandate access for people with disabilities when accompanied by Assistance Dogs. See Access Rights for more details.

 

Resources

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Department of Justice
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Home Page
ADA Information Line
Commonly asked questions about service animals in places of business

Assistance Dog International - a coalition of not for profit organizations that train and place Assistance Dogs.

The Delta Society the leading international resource for the human-animal bond.
National Service Dog Center
Therapy Animals

Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust (DAV) that generously supports the Institute's Paws for Purple Hearts Program.

Assistance Dogs Europe (ADEu) - organization dedicated to supporting the work of assistance dog programs across the whole of Europe

International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) - A non-profit, cross-disability organization representing people partnered with guide, hearing and service dogs.

 

Our Graduates’ Programs

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We’re pleased to provide this handy way to find our graduates whose websites link to us. If you’re a Bergin University graduate and would like to be listed here, please send an email to info@berginu.org.

American Poodles At Work (APAW)
(Jillian Gartner)
PO Box 1933
Warren, MA 01083
(413)436-0601
E-Mail: info@americanpoodlesatwork.org
Web:www.AmericanPoodlesAtWork.org

Arizona PowerPaws (Cindy Abels)
P.O. Box 1163
Scottsdale, AZ 85252
Phone: 480-945-0754
Fax: 480-945-0525
E-Mail: AZPowerPaws@aol.com
Web: www.azpowerpaws.org

Autism Service Dogs of America (Pris Taylor)
4248 Galewood Street
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
E-Mail: autismservicedogsofamerica@juno.com
Web: autismservicedogsofamerica.com

California CanineAcademy/Assistance Dogs
(Judy Warren)
5659 W. Brooks Road
Merced,CA 95340
Phone: 209.723.2777
EMail: POSTVTNKR@aol.com

F.E.T.C.H. (Tiffani Woodworth)
Find Empowerment Through Canine Helpmates
207 North C Street
Lompoc, CA 93436
Phone:805.588.0232
E-Mail: fetchtiffk9@yahoo.com
Web: www.fetchdoodles.com

Golden Opportunity Assistance Dogs (Donna Frezell)
1413 Helena Montague Ave.
London, ON N6K 1Z3
Canada
Phone: 519-670-1809
E-mail: info@GOADogs.ca
Web: www.GOADogs.ca

Paws and Effect, Inc. (Dave Moore)
Phone: 260. 417.1825
FAX: 208 975 9481
E-Mail: Dave@pawsandeffect.org
Web: www.pawsandeffect.org

Pawsitive Perspectives Assistance Dogs (PawPADs)
(Linda Ball, Director)
8239 150th St. W
Savage, MN 55378
Phone: (952) 226-2063
Email: info@PawPADs.org
Web: www.PawPADs.org

Retrieving Independence (Karen Langer)
900 Carter Hollow Rd.
Linden, Tennessee 37096
Phone: 931-589-3838
E-Mail: info@retrievingindependence.org
Web: www.retrievingindependence.org

The Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (Joy St. Peter)
PO Box 21804
Keizer, OR 97303
Phone: 503-551-4572
Fax; 503-390-3047
E-Mail: jlad4342@msn.com
Web: www.joydogs.com

West Coast Assistance Teams Society (Ryan Hill)
#1905 4425 Halifax Street
Burnaby, BC V5C 6P2
Canada
Phone/Fax: 604.293.1211
E-mail: teams@telus.net
Web: www.westcoastteams.com

Wilderwood Service Dogs
Tiffany Denyer, President
Maryville, TN 37803
865-660-0095
E-Mail: wilderwood@charter.net
Web: www.wilderwood.org