Do any Dopers have experience donating dogs for Service Dogs?
I’ve been googling quite a bit today, and I’m finding that the organizations that don’t breed their own dogs tend to want the Lab and Golden Retriever types, mostly. I have Border Collies, and I see that they’re used once in a while as Service or Hearing dogs.
I’m asking because I just had a litter the other day, and I thought it would be nice to donate one of the pups. My dogs are mainly livestock working dogs, but they’re very trainable. My pups tend to be about mid-range as far as Border Collie temperment goes - maybe not as laid-back as Service Dogs need to be though. I really don’t know. My male dog has proven extremely trainable, and I’d like to pass that on to someone who might need it.
I will be contacting a couple of organizations in my state, but I’d like to hear Dopers’ experience too. And if any of you use Service Dogs, I’d be very interested in your perspective as well.
We raise guide dog puppies, and are on our third. The place we work with breeds their own, for docility, etc. They use mostly Labs and Goldens, with a few German Shepherds.
Our pet dog is half cocker spaniel, half border collie, and I can’t imagine a border collie being good as a service dog. Smart, trainable, but a bit hyper. Service dogs need to be able to sit for long periods without getting bored. I would suspect that a border collie would need
a lot more exercise than practical for a service dog.
Nice idea, though. Could they use a border collie as a bomb sniffing dog, or something like that?
I hadn’t thought about the exercise factor. I think you might be right. I do have one Border who can sit still for a long time, and isn’t desperate for work, but she is the exception to the rule. It’s her puppies I’m thinking of though, and they’re pretty mellow.
Maybe the one BC I saw was one of those exceptions. I don’t really think mine would make good sniffing dogs - my male can’t find the ball to save his life, if he doesn’t see it fall. He’s more of a sight hound.
I was just thinking of it because I can talk him into doing practically anything. I can picture him fetching things from the fridge and pulling wheelchairs and such. I grant that the person IN the wheelchair may not want to chase rabbits at 20 mph, but I haven’t trained him to use restraint.
Thanks for the input! I’ll still check, just in case one of the organizations decides they can’t live without one.