Pepsea: Service Dog – AKC Honorable Mention ACE
owned by Carol Sundell of Canton, Michigan
Above and beyond their place as family companions and in traditional service occupations, dogs in Michigan serve in an ever-widening spectrum of therapeutic roles. The physical and emotional benefits to humans that come from relationships with dogs are now recognized and utilized by psychiatric facilities, assisted living centers, hospitals, schools and even prisons.
While serious attacks by dogs are very rare, the intense media coverage that may accompany such an incident can mislead the public and/or lawmakers into imagining that dogs pose a significant threat to the community. Sensationalized publicity, combined with a lack of understanding of the infrequency of dog attacks, and of their causes, has resulted in reactive and uniformed policies directed against certain types of dogs.
More than a dozen communities and cities in Michigan have banned or restricted certain types of dogs in the profoundly mistaken belief that the appearance of a dog governs its behavior…or the behavior of its owner.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human dog-bond. Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically reducing the number of reported dog-related injuries in Michigan and throughout the nation.
National Canine Research Council