There seems to be a lot of controversy over whether or not a service dog should be allowed to attend school with the children they are supposed to help. I personally am not sure what the problem is.
Do you know how expensive it is to own a service dog or the amount of time that goes in to train one to be able to do what this dog does? To say that families only start a problem because they want to win a monetary settlement is absurd. The dog is not going with this child for show and tell or take your pet to school day. It is a working dog and there to do a job. It would stay under the desk or next to the boy not run around the classroom like it is party time. Its not there for belly rubs or to distract the other children from their work.
Seizure dogs help alert the family to seizures during the night. They also help the individual be it a child or adult to be more independent. What good is the school nurse to a child with Seizures when she is off in her office and the child is in his/her classroom? They are there to determine if a child should go home when they are sick in school or to take care of a skinned knee from recess. Is the nurse even trained to care for a child who has seizures or is her first response to call the ambulance?
Courtesy of Guiding Dogs for the Blind
To compare a child with ADD that can be controlled with medicine to a child with Autism or Seizures that cannot be controlled with medication is ridiculous. Though I do believe most children would be much calmer and learn better with a dog in their classroom. Dogs have been proven to help with literacy programs and there is research to show that those who are around dogs are calmer and have lower blood pressure then those who aren't.
To answer the question about children who are scared of dogs well they are better off meeting a service dog and getting to know the dog and learning about animals and how to care for them and behave around them. What if they were to go to a friends house and encounter a family pet who is active and wants to play and the child doesn't understand that and freaks out. The dog doesn't understand the child is upset by their presence and goes over and starts wagging their tail against the child or running full speed to play. Then what?
As to who will walk and feed the dog I don't see that as an issue either. If the dog is walked before it arrives at school and again immediately after school is over there should be no need for someone to walk it during the day. As for food and water a bowl put out in the morning when the child arrives at school and a snack when the class has lunch should be all the dog needs in order to effectively do its job. Obviously if the dog is sick it should stay home.
For those of you who followed the Blog-A-Thon you know that several of the Blogs participating in the event were raising money for a 4 year old boy so that he can have the same kind of dog that school districts are trying to get kicked out of the classroom. What happens when he is old enough to go to school will his family need to then raise the money for him to go to a private school or hope their son can get a scholarship or are they just supposed to home school him. http://www.amakuamarket.com/blog/2010/07/a-puppy-for-bradyn/
For a bit more information about how a service dog can help a child with Autism please visit For a bit of information on what a Service Dog can do for a child with Autism https://www.guidingeyes.org/prospective-students/children-with-autism/
Information about Seizure Disorder Service Dogs http://www.4pawsforability.org/seizuredogs.html