Bonita M. Bergin | |
---|---|
Born | 1945 |
Alma mater | Nova Southeastern University |
Known for | Inventor of the concept of the "service dog" |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Assistance Dog Education and Human-Canine Life Sciences |
Institutions | Bergin University of Canine Studies, Paws for Purple Hearts |
Bonita M. Bergin (also known as Bonnie Bergin) is an American canine researcher. She is the inventor of the concept of the service dog.[ citation needed ] She is the founder and president of the Bergin University of Canine Studies and the founder of Canine Companions for Independence and Paws for Purple Hearts.
Bergin is a former special education teacher. In her work, she looked "for ways to keep people with disabilities out of institutions". [1] During a trip to Asia in 1975, she saw disabled people using donkeys to assist with transportation and other life needs. Bergin assumed that a dog could perhaps provide people the same assistance. [2] She proposed bringing a dog to the Santa Rosa Disability Center to work with interred people. Bergin went to an animal shelter and adopted a puppy and began training it. That was the first dog she ever trained. Bergin has "trained dogs to do everything from read basic words to identify diseased plants in Napa's vineyards." [1] In 2001, Bergin was awarded the Use Your Life award by Oprah Winfrey. [3]
Located in Penngrove, California, Bergin University is the "first and only program in the world that focuses on training dogs and learning about dogs." [4] The school was founded as the Bergin University of Canine Studies [5] The university is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. Students come to Bergin from all over the world, and graduates leave equipped with the skills and knowledge to start their own assistance dog organizations or dog-related businesses.
The school offers Associate, Bachelor and master's degree programs and follows a unique model where students enrolled in the university train assistance dogs with the goal of placing the dogs with people with emotional and physical disabilities. The school offers classes on all aspects of dogs, from genetics to behavior, nutrition and dogs in popular culture. [4] As part of the curriculum, students also train dogs at local animal shelters, helping those shelters place those dogs in their forever homes. The Bergin University dogs, which are bred on site, start being trained at 3 to 4 weeks old and are worked with for up to two years to learn 106 different commands. [4] [5] After graduation, dogs may be placed to work with paraplegic or quadriplegic people or others with emotional or physical disabilities. These people join a waitlist to obtain a dog for a fee of $2,750. The cost to train a dog at Bergin University is upwards of $25,000. [4] In 2013, the university awarded Cesar Millan an honorary degree in canine science. [6]
Paws for Purple Hearts was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2011. Paws for Purple Hearts improves the lives of America’s Warriors (veterans and active duty service members) facing mobility challenges and trauma-related conditions such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by providing the highest quality assistance dogs and canine-assisted therapeutic programs; and by building public awareness about the important role dogs play in helping Warriors along the road to recovery.
An assistance dog is a dog that receives specialized training to aid an individual with a disability in navigating everyday life. Assistance dogs can be trained by an organization, or by their handler.
Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intention of maintaining or producing specific qualities and characteristics. When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring's characteristics are determined by natural selection, while "dog breeding" refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners. Breeding relies on the science of genetics, hence a breeder who is knowledgeable on canine genetics, health, and the intended purpose of the dogs attempts to breed suitable dogs.
A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.
Victoria Stilwell is an English author, dog trainer and television presenter. Stilwell has appeared as a pet behavior expert and served as a producer on several international TV series including Dogs Might Fly, Dogs With Extraordinary Jobs, and Greatest American Dog (CBS), and is best known as the star and creator of the dog training TV show It's Me or the Dog.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. The goal of this animal-assisted intervention is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Studies have documented some positive effects of the therapy on subjective self-rating scales and on objective physiological measures such as blood pressure and hormone levels.
A psychiatric assistance dog or psychiatric service dog is a sub-category of assistance dog trained to assist their handler with a psychiatric disability or a mental disability, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Canine Companions for Independence is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that trains and provides assistance dogs. As of 2018, it has placed over 6,000 assistance dogs with recipients at no charge.
Endal was a male Labrador Retriever in Britain whose abilities as a service dog and as an ambassador for service dog charitable work received worldwide news media coverage.
Tamar Geller is a dog trainer who developed "TheLoved Dog" method of dog training. After serving as an intelligence officer working with the Israeli Special Forces, she spent time observing wolves in the wild and studying how parent canines trained their young. By using similar techniques as the wolves, she created a method for training puppies that does not involve aggression, dominance, or choke chains. She is the founder of the first cage-free doggy boarding and day care center in southern California, called The Loved Dog. Her book of the same name teaches dog-owners methods to train their dogs in a nonaggressive way.
Service animals are working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's function. Dogs are the most common service animals, having assisted people since at least 1927.
Brian Kilcommons is an American author and dog trainer. He is a protégé of Barbara Woodhouse, and the only North American to have studied under Woodhouse in Great Britain. Kilcommons is the author of pet training manuals. In 1992, New York magazine described him as one of the most respected dog trainers in the US.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a volunteer-based, non-government organization whose goal is to prevent animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy, based in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay. PAWS believes that the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion which includes animals, thereby envisions a nation that respects animals, practices responsible pet ownership and protects wildlife. The volunteer-based organization rehabilitates these animals in the hope of finding them new homes and a second chance at a good life. PAWS does not take in pets of other people, but only victims of cruelty or neglect where the animal offenders are charged with violation of the Animal Welfare Act in court.
Ana was a golden retriever search and rescue dog, known for having been the first graduate of the Search Dog Foundation's training program. Ana was one of the first search dogs to be deployed to the site of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks.
NEADS Inc. is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit program that provides trained service dogs to people who have physical disabilities or who are deaf or hearing impaired; veterans with PTSD; and children with autism or other developmental disabilities.
The human–canine bond is rooted in the domestication of the dog, which began occurring through their long-term association with hunter-gatherers more than 30,000–40,000 years ago. The earliest known relationship between dogs and humans is attested by the 1914 discovery of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog, who was buried alongside two humans in modern-day Oberkassel, Germany, approximately 15,000 years ago. For centuries, the phrase "man's best friend" has commonly been used to refer to dogs, as they were the first species and the only large carnivore to have been domesticated. This companionship is most evident in Western countries, such as the United States, where 44% of households were found to be keeping at least one dog as a pet.
Ricochet was a female Golden Retriever dog from San Diego. She was one of the original surfing dogs that started the whole dog surfing circuit. She entered her first surf dog competition when she was 15 months old. She was a competitive surfing dog for several years and typically placed in one of the top three spots of competitions.
S. C. Megale is an American novelist and screenwriter, who frequently works in the young adult fiction, science fiction, and fantasy genres. She is best known for the novel This Is Not a Love Scene.
Sherry Woodard is an American animal behavior consultant, certified dog trainer, and a star cast member of National Geographic Channel's four-season DogTown series.
Mary Cortani is a United States Army veteran who's best known for founding her non-profit organization Operation Freedom Paws.
Mardi Paws is a Mardi Gras procession in Covington, Louisiana dedicated to animal welfare.