Reed James B
NCSL--Denver.
NCSL Legisbrief. 2015 Dec;23(47):1-2.
U.S. service members returning home from combat often face physical, mental and emotional challenges. Providing service dogs to these veterans is one method being used successfully to help address the difficulties they face. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as "any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability." The work the dog undertakes must be directly related to the person's disability. Examples include guiding people who are blind, pulling a wheelchair, alerting a person with hearing loss, protecting a person having a seizure, and calming someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack or psychiatric episode.
从战场回国的美国军人常常面临身体、心理和情感方面的挑战。为这些退伍军人提供服务犬是一种正在成功运用的方法，以帮助应对他们所面临的困难。根据联邦《美国残疾人法案》（ADA），服务动物被定义为“经过专门训练，能为残疾人士（包括身体、感官、精神、智力或其他心理残疾者）做工作或执行任务的任何犬只”。犬只所承担的工作必须与该人的残疾直接相关。例子包括为盲人引路、拉轮椅、提醒听力受损者、在癫痫发作时保护患者，以及在焦虑发作或精神发作期间安抚患有创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的人。
