2007 Volume 1 Issue 1 Pages 38-45
Estimating the cost for training and rearing service dogs is essential in order to stably produce well-trained service dogs. The purpose of this study is to estimate the cost of training and rearing a service dog for recipients. Models have been developed and investigated for three types of recipients' disabilities : 1) thoraco-lumbar cord injury (TLCI), 2) cervical cord injury (CCI) and 3) rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These models estimated the service dogs' lifetime cost based on information provided from training institutions. The costs of service dogs for these model cases are estimated as follows : 3.88-4.58 million yen for TLCI, 4.11-4.81 million yen for CCI, and 4.70-5.39 million yen for RA. These estimates exclude money spent on dogs that did not complete the training program. Differences in cost of service dogs for recipients with different disabilities are due to the service dogs' duration of training, costs of making self-help devices, and service dogs' frequency of re-training. It is important to tailor training programs for service dogs to meet recipients' needs.
