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Thanks to a new technology, when you speak to your dog, he'll be able to do more than just bark back. The technology, which was created at Georgia Tech, uses a sensor activation system that produces speech when touched by the dog, according to a CNN report.   The dogs can "say anything we give […]

At six prisons in New York and New Jersey, inmates can participate in a program where they learn to train purpose-bred Labrador Retrievers to become service dogs for veterans and explosive detection dogs for law enforcement. But as much as the inmates are helping train the dogs, the dogs are teaching the inmates responsibility and helping them gain a sense of self. […]

For inmates at the Edmonton Institution for Women, a straight route back into society might be the hair of the dog. Starting this fall, women at the maximum-security correctional facility in Alberta, Canada, will get the opportunity to use their time behind bars to become certified dog groomers. The 12-week vocational-training program is designed for […]

Would you lie to get a handicapped parking placard? Would you fake an injury that required the use of a wheelchair to obtain special services? Would you feign a life-threatening illness to qualify for a Make-A-Wish trip? Most people would never do these things because they harm those who are truly disabled and need special […]

A Great Dane named George who is a service dog for 11-year-old Bella Burton is one of five recipients for this year's AKC Humane Fund Award for Canine Excellence, which honors dogs that have had a significant impact on their owners and communities. Bella, who suffers from the genetic disorder Morquio syndrome, received George a […]

Military and police dogs are trained in a variety of skills, from short-roping out of a helicopter to rappelling up a wall. But most commonly, they’re used for detection of hidden explosive devices or dangerous persons. (Read how one military dog saved his handler from a sniper attack in Vietnam.) Chopper, a Navy SEAL dog […]

It was all over in a second, before you could even scream. Jennie* and her daughter, Goose, 4, had just gotten out of the car in a shopping center parking lot in Durango, Colorado, when the child turned and bolted. Jennie did not have time to react, but their Newfoundland, Porter, knew just the right […]

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, 47-year-old FDNY Fire Marshal Ronald Bucca contacted his wife to say that he was heading to the scene of New York City's World Trade Center, where a plane had crashed into Tower One. By the time he arrived, a second plane had crashed into WTC Tower Two, where […]

He’s an unlikely lobbyist, but this Rottweiler is doing more than advocating for the rights of disabled veterans—he’s also serving as an ambassador for his breed. Dieter is a service dog for Neal Williams, a disabled Vietnam veteran who serves on the board of directors of the New England chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America. […]

As of September 16, veterans visiting the Veterans Affairs facilities will be allowed to bring service dogs into the building, This new rule, Army Times reported, is a change from the old policy, in which only seeing-eye guide dogs were allowed, with other service dogs being allowed only at the discretion of managers. According to […]