VET
Hearing helpers
Our vet columnist on the vital assistance provided by many dogs
by BRUCE FOGLE
My wife Julia and I were in a sedate restaurant in New York City when a Siberian Husky wearing a yellow coat with the words 'SERVICE DOG' arrived, towing behind him an eminent dog trainer I had arranged to meet for dinner.
I asked what 'service' her dog provided. He was an 'Irritable Bowel Support Dog', she said.
If separated from him, her bowels got irritated.
You could get away with that in the US, where the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 described an essential service animal (ESA) as 'an untrained companion of any species that provides solace to someone with a disability'.