Introduction
Service dogs are assistance animals that are trained to help people with disabilities. Some of the disabilities that service dogs assist with include visual disabilities, PTSD, diabetes, seizures, and mental illness.
The United States Department of Justice states that: "Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack , or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA."
Service dogs are usually either rescued from shelters or bred in special programs before they begin formal training to become a service dog.
Task
What Breed of Dogs make good Service dogs?
Service dogs are usually golden retrievers or labs
http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/faq-category/dog-breeds-beha…
-In this website there are also other frequently asked questions answered, such as more information on the training process.
-Service dog sizes can vary depending on the needs of the person, but usually a dog of medium to a larger build are best
How to receive a service dog
Most organizations will require that you go through an application process
Some require you to be 18 years of age or older
It's also a good idea to have a support system in place to help facilitate a successful partnership
It is likely you will also have to attend some form of training as well
http://www.cci.org/site/c.cdKGIRNqEmG/b.4011119/
-This link gives you step by step instruction on how to get a service dog through their organization
What gear is needed for a service dog?
It's important to have the gear needed for your service dog here is a quick list of items
-Head Collar
-Muzzle
-Collar
-ID Tag
-Body Harness
-Boots
-Nail Caps
http://www.anythingpawsable.com/service-dog-gear/#.VjLj59WrTnA
This site goes into detail exactly what each of these items are and why they are important to have.
Process
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUbwnzNY54w]
-This video shows the top 5 service dogs and gives you a sneak peak into the amazing work they do. This video also demonstrates the numerous ways service dogs can help people
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lMeoNojns0]
-This video gives a great overview of having a service dog and the process of doing so
Conclusion
Service dogs offer such a high level of help and comfort to those in need. They can help with a wide variety of things from physical disabilities to PTSD and other mental disorders. Service dogs are truly a unique animal. Service dogs can help people do a wide variety of day to day activities, from turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, picking up dropped items and much more. Once they become close with their human they can even begin to sense when their owner is in distress or is about to have a seizure or anxiety attack. 
