The Jobs That Working Dogs Have To Do

Besides being “man’s best friend” our beloved pooches have long assisted humans in many tasks since time immemorial. As hunting, guarding and shepherding companions they have long been of great help to us. Though they get top marks as loving and caring friends to us, their keen sense of hearing and smell, loyalty and intelligence make many of them excel in many other professions as well. Yes, you heard that right. Dogs can have jobs too!

Dogs are loyal guardians. Household dogs safeguard their owners and their property from harm by acting as excellent guard and watch dogs. No thief or intruder in their right senses will dare to trespass when a well-trained and intelligent dog is on duty! As part of the police and military they protect their team, help hunt down criminals and fugitives, track suspects and scout for potential threats. Some detection dogs are specially trained to sniff out drugs, weapons, explosives and other illegal substances.

When natural calamities like earthquakes, tornadoes, avalanches, fires and floods or man-made disasters like explosions, building collapses or accidents strike, it invariably results in many people getting trapped or lost. It is in situations such as these that the unique abilities of dogs sharpened by their search and rescue training come into play. Dogs can be specially trained to search out people, living or dead and also for water rescue operations.

These canines can help people overcome their physical, mental, emotional, intellectual or sensory barriers and lead a near normal life. Each group of dogs is specially trained to handle their tasks – guide dogs can help the visually challenged, hearing dogs can be of assistance to the auditory challenged, and mobility dogs can help people with movement disabilities to move around safely.To aid people overcome emotional trauma there are therapy dogs. Similarly, medical alert dogs sense medical emergencies before they strike. They alert the owner or the response team so that timely treatment reaches the patient.

For centuries, some canines have been specially bred and trained to herd large flocks of cattle, sheep and even fowl. These expert herders can take their livestock wards across pastures and safely guide them back to their respective barns or pens.

Believe it or not, our adorable pooches have left their paw prints on the film industry as well! Acting in different roles, these canines have enriched pet lovers’ movie-going experiences around the world. Pet shows that entertain many also have several dogs competing for titles. Excelling in this field also requires several hours of dedicated and rigorous hard work! Many organizations also use some special dogs as their mascots to increase their public connect and popularity.