Cayuga momma
♡Ducks♡, enough said.
You made me cry! Great post!!!!Warning: Long post, not meant to insult, but to enlighten! I realize that the OP has decided against doing this, but others will read this thread further down the road and might miss that.
This is a subject I am passionate about because I have first hand experience both as a trainer and as someone with a family member who may someday need such an animal.
Years ago the only animals permitted in public places were Guide Dogs for the Blind. Period. I was a professional dog trainer in South Dakota at the time, and an amazing man who was quadriplegic called and asked if I could train a dog for him to have as a “helper”. I’d never done anything like that before, and I explained to him that we’d all three be learning together. He was fine with that. So I helped him pick out the ideal puppy and we got to work. And did we ever work!! Jim and his wife were determined to have a happy, healthy dog to love, but one that was disciplined and steady to help him with everyday tasks while his wife was at work. And we did it!
After training, (not that training ever stopped) Jim took Max to the South Dakota State Legislature, where they demonstrated exactly what Max could do and how safe and independent he helped Jim become. They decided to take their issue directly to the Capitol after Jim, his wife, and Max were ordered to leave a public place because Jim wasn’t blind and Max wasn’t a Guide Dog. I am very proud to tell you that the Legislature passed the law allowing assistance dogs the same access as Guide Dogs, without a single dissenting vote after watching the two of them.
Jim and Max earned that for themselves and for others in the same situation. No, there was no special license issued. No, Max wasn’t trained by a trainer specializing in Service Dogs. There was no vest or special collar. But as the Legislators watched Max call 911 on a pad attached to a phone, saw him get everything Jim asked him for, knew to “seek help left” or “seek help right”, help Jim in and out of his chair, among many other things, they took notice. They saw first hand how valuable a well trained service animal was and they passed the law. So although not a true service dog, Max paved the way FOR true service dogs and their owners in South Dakota. We worked non-stop on total socialization. We never let up on basic obedience, but had to learn what “reasoned disobedience” meant. That’s where the owner gives a command that the dog knows will result in risk to the owner and the dog disobeys that command. The owner has to learn to trust his/her dog.
So that’s why being able to go on the internet to buy a harness that says “Service Animal”, or persuading a medical provider or transportation official that Spot, Fluffy, or Hei Hei are true service animals kinda grates on me. Months and months of hard work, frustration, dropping back 2 steps and starting over in a different direction, even Jim maneuvering his power chair through 3 to 4 foot snow drifts just to get to class, and his shoulder injury from training seems to mean nothing when the entire system is abused.
Yes, animals can be great stress relievers. Yes, they can calm someone experiencing a panic attack or give someone the courage to go out in public. Yes, they can perform simple tasks to help their owners. That doesn’t make them service animals, that makes them excellent companions. To lump them with animals that can detect the onset of seizures or diabetic crises, guide the blind, or assist a quadriplegic or other physically disabled person who can’t safely get through a simple daily routine on their own seems lopsided.
I have said for years that anyone who trains service dogs should be certified to do so, and that dogs pass a series of stringent tests, including basic manners, socialization, traveling on public transportation, and assistance skills before getting a National Certificate and a state or nationally issued and recognized vest and harness. The owner should be able to immediately produce a corresponding card that states the degree of training, the date of issue, and the basic disability. Do you know the irony of that? The dog I trained would not have been eligible since I was not a certified service dog trainer - I would not have had the credentials to do what we did, yet I fight for it. We desperately need a uniform system for training, standards, testing, and a way to identify qualified trainer/dog/handler teams. And we need to rigidly define what constitutes a service dog and limit it TO dogs. I’m sorry, I know other animals can do amazing things, but they simply cannot do the incredible variety of things a dog can do.
Why should everything from a guppy to an elephant (exaggeration, of course) qualify for a purchased vest and exceptions to “animals in public places” rules? It took years to get Jim and a Maxie working as a team. It took years to get that legislation passed. It took more years of ongoing, continuing work and refresher training to keep that partnership strong. You simply can’t do that with a chicken, sorry.
Right now I have a granddaughter who has been in her wheelchair since she was 9 months old. She’ll be 7 next week. She is mostly non-verbal, autistic, and has Spina Bifida. Many many people here on BYC have watched her over the years and grown to love her. I have written articles and posts about the world of benefits Kendra and her sister have received from the humble chicken. But you can believe that if Kendra can ever have a service animal, it will be a true service animal, professionally trained by a certified instructor who can train the dog and Kendra to work successfully together. Jim and Maxie paved the way for her. I only hope that someday soon the need for regulation will be realized.
End of rant....but not the end of the struggle for certification.
