AUTISM SOLUTIONS their working days and how that affects the bond between dog and family .
The Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ) provides public access for people with disabilities who use service dogs but does not address the welfare of the dogs . Approximately 40 states have enacted laws that make “ intentionally , knowingly , or even negligently harming an assistance animal ” a misdemeanor or a felony . Most states have made it a felony to kill an assistance dog ( Wisch , 2015 ).
For example , California provides restitution of up to $ 10,000 or imprisonment in a county jail to any person who intentionally causes injury to or the death of a guide , signal , or service dog ( West ’ s Ann . Cal . Penal Code , 2017 ). While this law is intended to protect an assistance dog , it is centered towards compensating the human . It also assumes that someone other than the disabled person has harmed the dog .
According to Schmahmann and Polacheck ( 1995 ), it would be dangerous to afford legal rights to animals because they would damage human rights . Animal rights place animals in the same category as humans and therefore devalue human life without taking into account that animals kill each other while human life is considered valuable and the taking of human life is a crime . Currently , there are no laws providing rights to autism assistance dogs .
Therefore , an autism assistance dog ’ s physical and emotional welfare is an ethical issue rather than legal at this time but is not often addressed before placement . In their study following 10 families and 11 autism assistance dogs placed into homes in Canada through 2003-2004 ( one dog was retired and replaced by a new dog ), Burrows , Adams , and Millman ( 2008 ) found that most dogs had limited opportunities for play and rest . The dogs appeared to be exhausted and did not receive enough recovery time due to restrictions on drinking , eating , urinating , and the expectation that they be available to prevent the child from bolting . Some dogs were subjected to unprovoked aggression . A major concern for these authors was sleep deprivation . If the dog was expected to sleep with the child , the dog could be woken throughout the night . If the dog attended school with the child and was “ on duty ” throughout the day , there was no chance for the dog to nap .
There are few studies that analyze the issues that arise while integrating an autism assistance dog into a family . Many parents have higher expectations than a dog can meet . Also , parents often are not prepared for the extra work that caring for dogs entails , which can add to the stress of caring for children with autism . The time of year placement occurs affects the ease of integrating the dog into the family . Families who received a dog in May had the summer to work with the dog — their child was home , and they were able to exercise the dog . Families who received dogs in November during inclement weather could not consistently exercise their dogs , and they had the added stress of dealing with the holidays ( Burrows & Adams , 2008 ).
Two issues included the inability for family members to correctly interpret the dog ’ s behavior , resulting in behavioral issues , such as dogs stealing food from the table ; and minor health concerns , such as hot spots or diarrhea , which caused extra work and veterinary expenses . The resulting data from this study suggested that parents had high expectations of the dog or that they had not been educated about potential issues that could arise when integrating an autism assistance dog during the first year into their home ( Burrows & Adams , 2008 ).
While parental anecdotes and research have shown these dogs can improve the lives of children with autism , it is also important to look at the welfare of the dogs and to provide oversight . Assistance dogs are social beings that require not only basic care but also companionship and affection . The level of bonding
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