#service poodle

[slutshakespeare]

Getting ready for university means frequent coffee shop breaks because I already packed my coffee pot

[sineadrivka]

Best interaction yet with my service dog who knows words:

Me: “Bud, I can’t get Leia to stop licking me. She doesn’t listen well.��

Nunya Bisnis 2: -instantly signals YES-

He likes his Autobody Shop rescue chihuahua/yorkie sister but finds her hilariously chaotic.

[still-not-a-cat]

Calypso’s enjoying her snow day!

Baby Calypso’s first snow day!

[magicratfingers]

This Thanksgiving!

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[pixierainbows]

Sunshine , just back from grooming day …

Pixie hate grooming day . but . guardians both say . is important . and . Sunshine be more comfortable after .

but …

Sunshine is now a . very bright glowing white holy cloud . :/

[followthebluebell]

Truffle being an angel in a restaurant. It's been a while since he's worked publicly but he remembers everything. He could have tucked more under the table but it's pretty good considering.

[dreamdropsystem]

poodle service dog we used a image or a real dog to help draw them! (group art)

lineart + reference photo below

[taravali-the-service-pup]

PUPPY PICTURES!!! 1 Week Old

5 Girls ⬆️ 5 Boys ⬇️

[helping-paws]

So just recently I mentioned that any dog can be a service dog as long as they have the temperament. Today I want to go over the one major exception to that rule:

Mobility Service Dogs. These dogs provide an invaluable service for people. They do things such as open doors, retrieve items, help their handlers stand up or balance, provide a forward momentum pull, and counterbalancing, among other things.

Dogs who provide this type of assistance have additional requirements, since the work can put additional physical strain on the body and cause an enormous amount of stress on the body and joints for dogs not built for the work. Therefore-only specific dogs can be mobility dogs. They have to be a certain weight, have a flat and stable build, and have no hip or elbow problems.

The typical recommended ratio for these dogs for light mobility work, which typically includes everything except for for full bracing and extensive counter balance, and wheelchair pulling is typically quoted as 30% of the handlers weight and 30% of their height-so for an adult with a weight of 160lbs and a height of 5’9” would need a dog NO SMALLER than ~55lbs, with a height of 23” at the shoulder.

For Heavy mobility Tasks like bracing, extensive counterbalance, or wheelchair pulling is higher. For these you want a dog that is 50-55% of your weight and 40% of your height. So for the same hypothetical person we looked at above, you’d need a dog that is NO SMALLER than 80lbs, and ideally a height of 27” at the shoulder.

This is specially for the heath and happiness of the dog-so make sure you are very specific about breed choice and MAKE SURE that you get the okay on your dog’s joints from a vet before preforming any kind of mobility work with a dog.

Ideal breeds for small to average height/weight people (or mixes if you’re rescuing) include:

Golden Retrievers

Labrador Retrievers

German Shepherds (Working Line. Be careful with show lines as there has been issues with malformed joint and back structure in many of these)

Larger Standard Poodles (You don’t need a labradoodle or any other doodle mix to get what you need. A standard poodle is capable of preforming this work just fine as long as it meets the size requirements)

Rottweilers

“Bully Breeds” such as pitbulls or staffies. (They often meet the weight requirement but tend to be on the shorter side so keep this in mind)

Dogs ideal for larger people and/or heavy mobility:

Newfoundlands

Bernese Mountain Dogs

St. Bernard’s

Mastiff Breeds

Great Danes

[slutshakespeare]

Dropped leash sniffy adventures AKA the easiest way to ensure hours of poodle nap

the sleepiest 💤

[sineadrivka]

There is nothing like a moment like this. The evening desert wind. My service dog cooling off before doing a night of work. The single wind chime calling each breeze through the Joshua Trees. A horse nickers. Someone’s dog barks in the distance.

High Desert Gothic.

[still-not-a-cat]

no one would dare interrupt service poodle’s delicious snack with a medical emergency. never.

[poodle-gutz]

Some photos of my service dog, Aspen, at the apple orchard yesterday. He did so well, I was very impressed! He was, however, a bit confused as to why apples fell off the trees themselves!

[magicratfingers]

PBS, you say? Does that mean the characters will be participating in PBS telethon to get donations from Viewers Like You?

Complete with shots of poodles on the phone banks.

lol we call 'em phone barks

[pixierainbows]

Sunshine head on Pixies lap

[uncreativelamb]

My son