[nagdu] statistics on service animals

[JULIE PHILLIPSON]

Liz the survey below said 10 to 12 thousand guide dogs are being used at any 
one time in the U.S.  I don't think there is anything that can be more exact 
then that and I don't know how they figured it, but that's the best estimate 
I've been able to find.  The book that the Aimes did has old numbers now and 
that was around 7,000 but that's ten or 15 years ago.  As far as other 
service animals I don't have any idea and I don't know where you might find 
that.  Perhaps the Delta society, Paws with a Cause,  Canine companions, and 
other such organizations can give you an idea.

here is the survey

Guide Dog Health Survey
Morris Animal Foundation
November 2008
Background: In 2008, Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) received a grant from
the Laura
J.
Niles Foundation to address health and injury issues that lead to early
retirement
of a guide dog
team or prevent the team from performing optimally. Although guide dog
schools in
the United
States have considerable information on health issues that affect dogs under
the
age of 2, less
information is available on those issues that affect working guide dogs
later in
life. To obtain
information, MAF surveyed U.S. guide dog handlers (guide dog handler: an
individual
who is
blind or visually impaired, partnered with a dog specially trained to safely
guide),
asking for
information on diseases and injuries, reasons for retirement and issues that
were
of concern to
them. Based on data received, the foundation will be developing a request
for proposal
(RFP) to
address issues requiring additional research. In addition, some issues were
identified
that could
have immediate intervention strategies.
MAF, established in 1948, has a 60-year history of addressing health issues
that
affect dogs,
including guide dogs. MAF was initially called the Buddy Foundation, named
for a
guide dog
owned by Morris Frank, who was the first guide dog user in the United
States. Dr.
Mark L.
Morris Sr., a visionary veterinarian, researched and developed a nutritional
diet
to control the
kidney disease that was affecting Buddy. Thus began a partnership between a
veterinarian
and a
client that resulted in better health for a guide dog. Since our beginning,
MAF has
funded more
than 1,600 research studies benefiting animals around the world.
Methodology: An online survey was created using Survey Monkey. The Internet
surveying
tool was first tested with visually impaired handlers to ensure
accessibility and
accuracy. U.S.
Guide dog schools and advocacy groups were sent a letter or e-mail
requesting their
support
to notify constituents, and a Web link to the survey was provided. The
survey did
not ask
constituents to name the school that trained their dog, but it did ask for
ZIP codes
to assess
whether any health issues were more prevalent in certain geographic
locations.
Demographic information was obtained on handlers, including age, gender and
number
of years
that a person had been a guide dog handler. Demographic information was also
obtained
on
current and previous guide dogs, including breed, gender and age at
retirement. Respondents
were asked to rate their current and previous guide dogs for guide work,
enthusiasm,
personality, stress and behavior. They were also asked to provide health
diagnoses
for their
current or previous guide dog, captured into the following categories:
orthopedic,
skin, ear,
cancer/tumors, gastrointestinal, eye, endocrinologic, neurologic, kidney,
heart,
respiratory,
blood/lymph and liver disorders. Information was also obtained on injuries
the guide
dog may
have sustained. Overall, the survey consisted of 72 multiple-part questions.
The
survey was
online from July 14, 2008, through August 14, 2008.
Results: More than 1,000 respondents answered the survey. The survey had a
margin
of error
of ±3 percent. Respondents were not required to answer every question, which
resulted
in
lower sample size for some questions.
Demographics of respondents: