In my previous post, I talked about therapy dogs and what they do. Supporting humans in need isn't the only job that dogs are capable of, though. There are various fields that dogs are able to work in. Today, I am going to discuss some of them.
Guide Dogs
Guide dogs are trained dogs that assist blind or other visually impaired people. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 guide dogs currently working in the United States. Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed of guide dogs at the moment. Other breeds include German Shepards, Boxers, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. According to servicedogcentral.org, these breeds are chosen for their "biddability, intelligence, ability and willingness to work long hours, ability to tolerate stress, good health, and public acceptability or recognition."
Detection Dogs
Detection dogs are dogs that use their senses in order to find people or substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, animal droppings, currency, blood, and electronic contraband. German Shepards are most commonly used, although Belgian Malinois, Bloodhounds, Dutch Shepherds, and Labrador Retrievers may also be trained. These dogs work for the police and undergo extensive training in order to do their job.
Acting dogs
Unless you've been living under a rock, then you've seen dogs acting in movies. From Marley & Me to Beverly Hills Chihuahua, dogs in all breeds, shapes, and sizes can act in movies. Being a movie star isn't all fun and games, though. Animals that act in movies have to go through a lot of training in order to become the stars that they are. Luckily, they get paid. Hollywood Reporter stated that "the day rate for a dog or cat in Hollywood is $400, with most earning $5,000 to $10,000 a year."I'm lucky if I can even get $3.
As you can tell from this blog, dogs are an extremely intelligent species with amazing capabilities. These jobs are just a few of the options for dogs in the workforce. With patience and proper training, the possibilities are endless!