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Service Dogs

Guide dog "Intrepid" in The Point studio
Guide dog "Intrepid" in The Point studio

Service Dogs are essential in the day to day life of many people- individuals who are blind or low vision, those who have difficulty hearing, or remembering to take medication. Service dogs can even alert people before they have seizure or if their blood sugar is getting too low. Not only are the dogs trained to perform tasks for their handlers, they create opportunity for independence, and provide companionship. Today we talk about service dogs, how they’re different from therapy or emotional support animals, and what it takes to train and pair a dog with an individual.
Joining us: Kara Milotte, Client Services Manager for NEADS, an organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. Lynn Stas, Region Coordinator for Guiding Eyes for the Blind Eastern Massachusetts. Doe Zottoli, a puppy raiser for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Mindy Todd hosts. And Amy Bower, Senior Scientist and physical oceanographer at WHOI, who has used service dogs for 20 years to assist as she has lost most of her vision due to retinal degeneration. Her current dog is Intrepid, an 8-year-old black Labrador trained by The Seeing Eye in New Jersey. Mindy Todd hosts.

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Mindy Todd is the host and producer of <i>The Point</i> on WCAI which examines critical issues for Cape Cod and the Islands. She brings more than 40 years of experience in radio and television to WCAI.