Service Animals Redefined...

[Sierra pachie bars]

I love hearing about all these amazing dogs. Only thing I had dond differently would be gone with a bigger dog. Now that I got worse, mobility would be most helpful. We got my husbands lab helping me get up from seating. But he is hubby dogs and I don't want to be oh give me your dog. Lol so for now he only helps at home. He does go out with me, but i do not bring him in places. Milo I retired but he misses it. He helps at home getting items me, cleaning a room of dropped laundry the kids leave and what not. He picked up the entire room Christmas and our company was impressed. He is crazy boy until vest goes on. He is 100 % on alerting to my daughters migraine. He was never tought this, really unsure how it happened and it took hubby and I sometime before we figured out what he was doing. She is with him all the time and home schooled so she is now like a totally different child. It is nice. However she doesn't like dogs and wants no part of him. I thought about giving him to someone who would get a lot of help from retreaval. But we do love him so.

I think if a lot of people think they will realize even animals at home help them. We tought our lab to turn
Light off and on. Every bit helps. Can I ask , does anyones dogs help with holding doors ? I am now having major issues with those glass doors. And people then rush making you try to hold it open because I look normal. Them they get mad when I cant hold it. Lol

 

[CoyoteMagic]

We were in our local Super Walmart one day shopping around the produce section. Spook layed down on one of those carpets they have in the area while I picked through the zukes. Next thing we both knew this little bitty girl who was 2 at the most had sat down next to Spook and was lying with her head on Spooks back as sweet and peaceful as could be. Spook looked at me, glanced back at the little one and just laid there. The little ones parents about wigged out when they saw what she was doing. I gave Spook her "watch me" sign while they hurried over and gathered her up, complaining all the time about a dirty dog in the store.

 

[Sierra pachie bars]

How cute.

I had someone ask me if he bites . I said only if you bite him first.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Quote:
Yup, me too. There used to be a website for folks who used Service Animals for "Invisible Disabilites" that were really advocates of those of us who didn't have any real outward signs. A very good friend of mine who has MS and vision issues was the first person to take a Service Dog to the White House. His name was Reggie.

There are a lot of people out there that are pushing for Service Dogs to be trained by some company instead of being trained by the owner of the dog. A dog coming from one of these organizations cost more than a car!! I believe a dog needs training, but I can train my own dog a whole lot faster and for less money than these people can.

I completely agree! I am training our dog to be moms mobility dog. I am an RVT studying behavior. I should be able to train my own freaking dog. I also DO NOT agree with ONLY trained dogs being allowed. How else are they to get training? Everyone has real life training from medical personel to cops to animals. Come one idiots!

Not only are the costs for the trained dogs outrageous but the wait times are to. My mom would have to pay 20K and wait 6 years. Its hard enough to come up with $500 for a harness (which we still can't afford) but she can't wait 6 years. She just fell again last week and busted up her face. It looks like DH and I beat her.

I also agree about the professionally trained dogs not being thh great. My dog just started his training last Fall. He turned 2 on New Years. Before this he was well socialized and encouraged to greet people who asked. My biggest hurdle now is telling him he can't greet and has to ignore people till I tell him to. On his second outing in public at the grocery store there was a blind man with his seeing eye dog. Apollo saw him and whined and shook in excitement. Nog good but better than his old behavior. The professionally trained seeing eye dog drug his owner towards us barking the whole time!!
To the person who says all service dogs need to be professionally trained. This si what I see all the time with the ones trained by someone other than the user/owner. My half trained dog is better behaved! And again WHO has a disability with low income can pay 20K+ and wait years for a dog???? (Not attacking just trying to let you see the other side)

 

[chickened]

Having the right does not always mean it is practical or safe. When you put your foot in a crosswalk the law says it is safe for you to cross the road,does that mean you don't look both ways?
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[chickened]

Not sure I would subject my dog to this seems cruel. Training my dog to be my slave or wet nurse justseems wrong. IMHO
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DEFIANTELY!! I've had waiters and waitresses mouths drop open when my Service Dog has come out from under the table. Entire sections of a restaraunt get quiet except for an "It's A Dog!" most times pleasantly, but we have had the occasional, "It's A darn Dog" which sets my husband off with, "It's a darn Idiot". He is not as pleasant as I am with dealing with people who act like idiots.

I find these times out in public a great time to educate people on what dogs are able to do and how they save lives on a daily basis. I have found that our older citizens and teens to younger adults are more informed and accepting of Service Dogs than adults over the age of 30. I don't know why that is. Children just know that it is a dog that is friendly and they want to cuddle. If they are willing to ask me about my dog, I will let them, and talk to them and their parents about Service Dogs.

If you touch my dog without asking, I will rip you a new one. My dog could have been preparing to alert and you have just distracted them from their job. My dog is my left arm. You have no right to touch me! My dog is part of who I am. My dog will not acknowledge that you exist unless I tell them they are permitted to say Hello and if they don't wish to, I don't force the situation. A dog has a better read on most people than most law enforcement folks.

I don't believe a Service Dog should have to be certified. This is another factor that limits who could have a Service Dog. Who would do the certifying? The government? They can't figure out what they are trying to do themselves. The AKC? They believe my current dog should have been destroyed when it was learned that she was deaf!

Please know that I speak of Service Dogs because I have had no other experience with a Service Animal. I have heard of Service Monkeys and a Guide pony. I was told about the pony by a police officer who had seen it while working in NYC. Pony's live for a good 30 years, a dog for 15 if you are lucky. What I would have given for my girl, Spook, to have lived for another 18 years. But then again, I wouldn't have my Krazy Katie who runs around like a nut case until she puts that Service Dog Vest on. Then she is the ultimate professional even at 1 year old.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Clearly, dogs that are being trained as service dogs need to be out and about, and I am pretty sure that they have teh same legl right to be anwhere that a service dog is. I do think they need to be marked as such--I have seen ones wearing a sort of coat that identified them as being in-training as a service dog.

Who would certify? Well, I would expect that there may be organizations for service animals? Or perhaps organizations for specific conditions that could set criteria for the general needs of a service animal for someone with that condition?

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Sonora currently the ADA and the JD ONLY recognize FULLY trained dogs. Now I can see certification but not that dogs HAVE to be professionally trained. The behaviors the dogs need to know depend on the person. There are no specific set tasks from one service dog to another.
Example the person posted earlier that she can't hold the doors open. She would need to train a dog to hold them. Apollo (our dog) has had to learn how to position himself on steps for my mom to use him as a brace. Doesn't seem hard till you are going up a hill that has no hand rail and there are 10 steps. Some people only need a dog to brace others need one to sniff out seizures... the list goes on.

 

[FourPawz]

Quote:
There is a post upthread about monkeys frightening horses. I would think desensitizing horses toward simians isn't done as a routine part of horse behavioral modification. I was referring to monkeys. Sorry I didn't make myself more clear.

There is a woman who advertises herself as a service dog provider in my area. She uses a breed absolutely unsuited for the activity (breed withheld because it's so rare in the field) and I have seen her REPEATEDLY feeding her dogs (in more than one establishment) from restaurant forks and plates. It's this type of behavior that gives service animals a bad reputation.

On the other hand, we've got a real service dog organization in the area. The difference between it and this woman is like night and day.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
There is a post upthread about monkeys frightening horses. I would think desensitizing horses toward simians isn't done as a routine part of horse behavioral modification. I was referring to monkeys. Sorry I didn't make myself more clear.

There is a woman who advertises herself as a service dog provider in my area. She uses a breed absolutely unsuited for the activity (breed withheld because it's so rare in the field) and I have seen her REPEATEDLY feeding her dogs (in more than one establishment) from restaurant forks and plates. It's this type of behavior that gives service animals a bad reputation.

On the other hand, we've got a real service dog organization in the area. The difference between it and this woman is like night and day.

Got ya!