Paw Hygiene No Reason to Ban Assistance Dogs From Hospitals

Assistance dogs’ paws are cleaner than their users’ shoe soles, Utrecht University researchers discover.
Patient Iris and her assistance dog Sandy in the recovery room after surgery. While dogs may be allowed in recovery rooms their access is often restricted due to concerns over hygiene. (Photograph courtesy of Utrecht University)
According to a UN-agreement, assistance dogs like guide dogs, signal dogs and medical response dogs are welcome in hospitals and other public places. However, in practice, they are regularly refused entry. Hygiene reasons are often given as the main argument for this. Research now shows that the paws of assistance dogs are cleaner than the shoe soles of their users, and thus, paw hygiene is no reason to ban assistance dogs from hospitals.

Over 10,000 people in Europe use an assistance dog; think of guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired, hearing or signal dogs for the deaf and hard of hearing, medical response dogs and psychiatric service dogs.

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