whats better a monkey vs. dog

[croman18]

what most perferred and better to have a dog or monkey

[skippy13]

I'd rather have a monkey if I had to make the choice. He could be trained to comb my hair, open my cheetos and feed me said cheetos. A monkey could do all of the things for me that my hands cant do anymore. I would definitely have to say a monkey as a helper would be my choice.

[SCI-Nurse]

Keep in mind that an assistance dog can go with you everywhere you go...to work, to school, concerts, restaurants, museums, on airplanes and trains, buses and even cruise ships. There are many training programs, while there are few for monkeys.

Monkeys trained as assistance animals are not trained to function any place except within your home. If you are, and plan to remain nearly 100% homebound, perhaps a monkey can do more things, but they also can be quite volatile, are not tolerant of strangers, often have a bad odor (much more than dogs) and have more expensive vet bills. Ever see Monkey Shines ???

(KLD)

[spinky88]

sorry kdl...little of your info is accurate.

yes, there are very few formal training schools for monkeys so as in my case we are self training with help from some others with experience with monkeys. monkeys are very intelligent and learn quickly. he learns in much the same way as teaching a child. but it takes a lot of dedication and time, wherein if you are able to get an animal that is already trained, that part is already done. i do think the self training adds to the bonding process and i definitely know that the bond strengthens from the animal being able to be with the owner from an early age.

a service monkey...just like a dog or a pig or any other service animal can go anywhere with you and can not be denied entrance because they are a service animal. oliver accompanies me everywhere i go. he is a registered service animal.

they certainly CAN be trained and he IS being trained to assist in public. i have had contact with several people who use a monkey as a service animal and they go with them everywhere just like oliver does with me. i talked to a minister who had a service monkey and his monkey actually turned his sermon pages for him!

i also disagree with your use of the word volatile. oliver is anything BUT volatle. as with any animal training and personality determine the character of that animal. saying monkeys are volatile is a stereotype just like any other..saying all of one breed of dog is dangerous.

to say monkeys are not tolerant of strangers is incorrect as well. monkeys are very attached to the person they see as their parent. most of them are not going to readily jump into the arms of a stranger and hug their necks. however, not being overly affectionate and being intolerant are two different things. oliver interacts very well with strangers. as a matter of fact, one of my doctors fed oliver a banana on his second meeting with him! as a matter of oliver's safety, i do not allow strangers to touch him. monkeys dna is so closely related to ours that they can contract any illness that humans have...so if a person has a cold, flu, or any other illness and they are touching oliver then he could get sick. respiratory illnesses are very serious for monkeys so i tell people not to touch him.

however, people should not touch any service animal. when service animals are out in public they are working and should not be distracted. this is true of all service animals, including dogs.

obviously you do not have any personal experience with monkeys if you think they have a bad odor! monkeys do not have any scent at all. as a matter of fact, if you go into a room with a monkey and there is a dog present, he will not even notice the presence of the monkey unless he sees it because monkeys do not have an animal scent. oliver takes showers as well so even if he gets something in his hair, he washes it off. he is a very clean animal and is constantly washing his hands if he gets anything on them. and...as a matter of fact, oliver likes to put on lotions as well! lol even when oliver is wet he has no wet animal smell like a wet dog will get.

the vet bills for oliver are a bit more than for my poodle but not that much more. the biggest expense so far is for his measles, mumps and rubella shot. they do need the same immunizations as human children so there is that expense.

and...the movie "monkey shines" is fiction.

there is a lot of bad information out there on monkeys. a lot of the things you read on the internet about monkeys and monkey behavior is the direct result of behavior due to abuse. people will get a monkey for a pet and not realize the reality of life with a monkey and they do not provide the proper care for the animal and then things go down hill. the same thing happens when people get a dog and tie them up in the yard and neglect them.

i am the first one to say that not all homes are suited for having a monkey for a service animal. for one thing, oliver needs playtime that i can not engage in and my son and husband get down and play with him. monkeys are very social and require a lot of personal interaction. the biggest mistake made with them is leaving them caged too much. oliver has been right by my side since he was very young. he has never been left home alone as he goes with me everywhere and on those rare occasions (which has been about 3 times) when i didnt take him, my son or husband babysat him.

monkeys take a lot of time. they can perform more tasks than a dog just by the simple fact that they have hands and can perform tasks that dogs cant. but the training time is longer and the commitment is for a lifetime as they usually live for 40-50 years in captivity. i do not think that any disabled person could do all of the training and care without help from an AB.

i dont think any person should get any animal of any type without doing a lot of research and talking to people who have owned that particular type or breed of animal. not all dogs are suited for all homes and not all homes are suited for a monkey.

in my situation, we talked to breeders, vets, monkey behavior researchers, searched the net, talked to monkey owners...we spent a lot of time on this before we committed to our decision. after all of our research we decided that this is a good decision for me and our family.

oliver has been a great addition to our family. using a monkey, or a dog, or any other animal, as a service animal is not a decision to be made lightly. if anyone is considering any sort of service animal, take plenty of time to talk to people who have "been there, done that". unless a person has personal experience with a monkey..or a dog for that matter...and by personal experience i mean has owned or lived in a home with one or works with them like a behavior specialists or trainer, then they are not qualified to give you accurate information.

you might enjoy these u-tube videos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEpJf5-IYwM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjRh...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMoA...eature=related

i am sure someone can post some more videos of service dogs in action. there are some already here at cc of some great dogs in action.

[mimin]

very informative spinky, you should link that other thread that you wrote about oliver too

[LaMemChose]

In choosing a service animal, know what you want and need that animal to do for and with you before choosing the type of animal or breed. Also, consider the care you are or are not able to provide the animal and the assistance you may need to bring it into and keep it in your family.

If I recall correctly, Spinky's monkey is in diapers. I'm not sure of the assistance Oliver is providing other than turning a light on and off at the wall. If one has the dexterity to change a money's nasty nappies, one can certainly handle a wallplate switch. I'm unsure as to Oliver's role as Spinky isn't spinal cord injured and I don't know what assistance she needs from Oliver. (No offense intended, but your service animal needs may be quite different from Croman's, Spinky.)

Unless you have great hand and finger function, Croman, and plan to clean monkey sh*t off your little primate's derriere, wash its little monkey butt and wrap it in Pampers each time it makes a bm, consider a dog. Primates may be cute, somewhat of a rarity and may draw attention in public, but there are reasons more people choose canines over primates.

While Oliver may have never thrown a tantrum and gone apesh*t (think about the origin of that word ) with Spinky and others, many monkeys bite, throw fits and are known to throw monkey poo when unhappy. Spinky is also a baby in monkey years so may not yet have hit the nasty monkey tantrum portion of his life.

A dog can assist you in ways a primate never can or will, little monkey hands or not.

The best to you on finding a service animal.

[adi chicago]

i will choose a human to help me ...dogs or monkeys cannot cath ,bowel program ,or transfer me from bed to the wheelchair.
ps.if the human is a single hot sexy female i will be the most happy male on earth .blondes,brunettes,etc.age 21-30 .....lol.

[gurly2356]

Dog =)

[adi chicago]

Originally Posted by gurly2356

Dog =)

funny t4 of course can do more things .......full use of fingers ,trunk ,balance and arms....ps we damn quads miss such blessing .
ps.you are a sweet lady

[maddog2020m06]

Get a Dog.