Neal Embry
Service Dog Training
Dr. Dara Dickey, right, of Advanced Veterinary Care in Vestavia Hills and Abigail Witthauer of Roverchase in Pelham play with Cabbage, a service dog who receives training from Roverchase and medical care from Advanced Vet Care.
For the last two years, Advanced Veterinary Care in Vestavia Hills has provided medical care for service dogs trained by Roverchase in Pelham, staying on-call and helping keep those who help others stay healthy.
“It’s a privilege, it really is,” said Dara Dickey at Advanced Vet Care, who helps take care of the animals. “There’s so much work that goes into [service dogs] from the moment they’re born.”
Abigail Witthauer leads Roverchase and said Advanced takes care of everything except the dog’s eye care, which is handled by Riverview Animal Clinic. One of the vet technicians at Advanced recently helped raise a dog for Roverchase, Witthauer said.
Roverchase offers service dog training as well as boarding services, obedience training, daycare and a grooming facility. Service dogs, Witthauer said, are defined by performing a trained task that mitigates a disability and are allowed public access everywhere. Roverchase helps service dogs become comfortable being in various types of situations, Witthauer said.
Dickey has taken excellent care of the dogs, Witthauer said.
“She’s great,” Witthauer said. “She’s spayed dogs [and] answered medical questions.”
There have been weekends where Dickey has taken time to help sick dogs, as Witthauer remembered a time when one of her dogs had an upset stomach and Dickey helped the dog heal.
Roverchase depends on vets to help keep the dogs healthy and to ensure they are able to help the people they are assigned to help.
Dickey said the relationship started after she took her dog to Roverchase to receive obedience training.
“In their job, they’re going to have to be very, very calm and happy about the world,” Dickey said of the service dogs.
The last year has been “intensive”, as Dickey is working with a new litter that is being trained, but that is helped by Dickey’s familiarity with the mom of the litter. It takes about 18 to 24 months for the dogs to be trained, Witthauer said.
“Advanced Vet Care is there every step of the way, and we hope to continue that relationship,” Witthauer said.
While service dogs stand out from petdogs because of their calmness and ability, Dickey also said they are usually easier to work with medically.
“Honestly, it’s easier to take care of the service dogs,” Dickey said. “... They’re trained to trust us. It’s our job to make every animal visit here as positive as possible.”
Even though service dogs are able to remain calm in stressful situations, Dickey said the vets do get to see their different personalities come out. When one dog was being spayed, she kept showing vets her incision and wanted to be held, she said.
While Roverchase trains the dogs, Witthauer said Advanced has become a critical partner.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be able to produce these dogs,” Witthauer said.
Dickey said the dogs are amazing and it’s an honor to help them be prepared to help others.
“They’re really a joy to work with,” Dickey said.
