Animals Helping People by Carol Ann Greenhalgh HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Animals Helping People by Carol Ann Greenhalgh PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Associated Press; tp JIM BOURG/Reuters/Corbis; 2, 4 Associated Press; 5 Bettmann/CORBIS; 7 Phil Degginger/Alamy; 8 Tom Nebbia/CORBIS; 9 blickwinkel/alamy; 11 Jeffrey L. Rotman/CORBIS; 12 JIM BOURG/Reuters/Corbis; 13 Associated Press; 14 Terry Vine/Getty Images. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777. Printed in China ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02334-2 ISBN-10: 0-547-02334-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.
Have you ever seen a German Shepherd waiting patiently to lead a person across a busy street? Animals that help human beings with their daily lives are called service animals. Other animals, like monkeys, ponies, and cats, also work as service animals. Because all of these animals have special jobs, they are allowed to go anywhere that humans can go. Service dogs may go wherever their human partner goes. 2
What Is a Service Dog? Dogs have been used to help blind people for many years. These smart dogs, often called guide dogs, are trained to give their human partners confidence as they go everywhere together. They know when the path is safe or if there is something dangerous to avoid. A good guide dog always obeys its human partner. However, sometimes a dog must disobey its partner in order to save his or her life. Perhaps the person orders the dog to go forward, but a tree has fallen across the sidewalk. A guide dog will refuse to go ahead so that the person will realize that something is wrong. 3
Dorothy Eustis helped bring guide dogs to America. History of Service Dogs A German doctor named Gerard Stalling used his German Shepherd to help men who had become blind in World War I. He then decided to train dogs to take care of the blind. An American named Dorothy Harrison Eustis heard about Stalling s work and wrote an article about him for a magazine. 4
A blind man named Morris Frank heard about the article and contacted Eustis. He wanted a dog for himself, but he also wanted to bring guide dogs to the United States. Together, he and Eustis trained Buddy, the first service dog for the blind in America. After being trained, Buddy led Morris Frank through the streets of New York. 5
Eustis and Frank started a school in 1929 called The Seeing Eye to train dogs. Today, guide dogs are used by thousands of blind people around the world. They perform a service by allowing individuals to live on their own without having to depend on others. These dogs are a symbol of independence. Service dogs wear a special harness or vest, and they do not behave like pets while they are working. Their job is to pay close attention to their human partner and to keep them out of harm s way. A constant supply of love and care from their partner is their reward. 6
Training a Service Dog A young service dog lives with a foster family. The family helps the puppy get used to noise, busy places, and lots of people. They take the dog everywhere so that it gets used to many different places and experiences. When the dog is old enough, it is tested to make sure that it has the right personality. Then it goes to school. If this puppy learns its lessons and has the right personality, it will become a service dog. 7
The dog and the person train together on things that the person needs help with. Training school teaches a service dog the important things that it needs to know. This includes how to find a door and when to cross a street. When a dog is almost ready to graduate from training school, it is matched with a person. When the two have learned to work well together, there is a ceremony. 8
Other Jobs for Service Dogs In addition to helping those who are blind, service dogs aid people who can t hear, individuals in wheelchairs, and those who have various illnesses. When service dogs work with people who can t hear, they let them know when the phone rings or an alarm goes off. They give a warning if there are unusual noises or if someone is at the door. This hearing dog is barking to let its human partner know that someone is at the door. 9
Service dogs help people in wheelchairs in many different ways. They pick up dropped items and pull wheelchairs up a hill. They turn lights on, open doors, and some even pull clothes out of the dryer. Some dogs can sense when something is about to happen, even before a person knows. One woman s service dog tells her when she is about to faint by placing its paws on her chest. A guide dog named Orient helped his human partner Bill Irwin become the first blind person ever to complete the Appalachian Trail in 1990. Together, they hiked 2,144 miles from Georgia to Maine. 10
The capuchin monkey can be trained to become a great service animal. Service Monkeys Monkeys have been used as service animals since 1979. A group called Helping Hands trains monkeys to help quadriplegics. These are people who are paralyzed from the neck down. With a monkey, many of them can live independent lives. 11
A capuchin monkey can even turn the pages of a book. Capuchin monkeys are used as service animals because they are small, curious, and adjust well to working with people. They are helpful with computers and with helping people eat and drink. Monkeys also live from 20 to 30 years or more. This is much longer than service dogs, which usually live between 10 and 20 years, depending on their size. 12
Ponies and Other Animals Miniature ponies are used in the same way as guide dogs. They are only about two feet tall. Ponies have great memories and see well in the dark. Like dogs, they live in the house and tell the owner when they need to go outside. They even wear little shoes to help them walk on slippery floors. The features of a miniature pony make it a perfect service animal. 13
People are even training cats successfully. One woman confesses that her cat rides in a basket attached to her wheelchair so they can go everywhere together. Living an independent life is important to everyone. The creative use of animals to make this possible is a wonderful gift to any person who needs the help. Cats can also be trained to help their owners. 14
Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Notice that the vocabulary word performs ends in -s or -ed. What other words can you think of that end in -s or -ed? Copy and complete the chart below. -s -ed plays?? worked?? Write About It Text to World Think about the many ways service animals help people. Write a short paragraph that explains why people believe these animals are special and why we need them. Use two words from the Word Builder. 15
TARGET VOCABULARY ceremony confesses confidence disobey foster graduate patiently performs reward symbol TARGET STRATEGY Summarize Briefly tell the important parts of the text in your own words. Use one of the vocabulary words twice to complete the sentence below. She liked to her dog with a tasty when he did a trick. 16
Level: N DRA: 34 Science Strategy: Summarize Word Count: 1,016 4.4.17 Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02334-2 ISBN-10: 0-547-02334-0 1032222