A New World of Working Dogs

SERVICE DOGS, ONE AND ALL

     The world is rapidly changing, as are the numbers, breeds and roles of service dogs. Many seniors are deriving benefits from acquiring service animals. This post deals with dogs, specifically. In spite of public awareness of the Americans With Disabilities Act, there is a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding regarding disability, service dogs and the law. Did you know, for example, service dogs help anorexics, people with traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress sufferers?
     From the taxi driver, who refuses to permit a passenger with her service dog to ride in his cab, to the local coffee shop owner, terrified to incur a fine from the local Health Inspector, people deny access to the disabled. It is humiliating for the disabled individual. More important, it is illegal. 
     The role of a service dog handlers is to keep assertive, keep educating people. It is a difficult, day-to-day challenge. Here is a helpful link concerning the issue of being denied access with your service dog:  http://www.petpartners.org/page.aspx?pid=488

There are excellent online resources, including the ADA, and on social media. I recommend Finnegan McNeil's fan page on Facebook, as an excellent resource and the 'friends' of Finnegan McNeil as a support community. (Finnegan, by the way, is a spokesdog for all service dogs, but is a small breed, a handsome miniature Brown Schnauser!)

Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.  -Marcus Aurelius

     Although how it is possible, I cannot say, many people have the notion that a service dog is a guide dog. It is a shepherd or retriever, always in a leather harness, always with an identifying vest; it is not a miniature or a giant breed, not a dog trained to alert it's handler, when medication is needed, bring a cell phone, or perform any of hundreds of assistive roles. Just to dispel another breed myth, pit bulls make excellent service dogs. 
     If a dog is a small-breed service dog, from experience, scores of people and their offspring want to touch the dog. If the dog is an unusually large dog, people who are not frightened of the dog are challenging the owner to 'prove' it is a service dog. So the dog and handler must be steady, absolutely calm and confident. Ignorant people, though, are not the only people who cause us worry. There are always the hateful, fearful, angry people. One individual on public transport recently threatened to break my dog's neck, if the dog came "anywhere near." This was in reference to an eleven-pound dog.

     Business people have an obligation to learn and abide by the provisions of the ADA.  On a purely practical level, those who would deny disabled handlers and their dogs, even citing local authorities or statutes, rarely prevail in court. It is an unappealing consequence to lose. In addition, in extreme cases, businesses can find themselves with 'bad press,' boycotts or picketing. It may not happen often, and it is never good to threaten such actions, but it can become a problem.

      Everyone responds better to a civil approach. One or two things you may need to know, however, if you are a dog handler. Don't feel obliged, in any way, because you are not obliged to discuss or reveal your health conditions. You are entitled to say, the dog is an assistance animal, not a companion. If someone asks what the dog does for you, it is fine to assert yourself, "I choose not to discuss my health history. I have said the dog assists me." There is no burden of proof on your part. In addition, although you may want to register your dog, you do not have to carry a registration, nor does your dog have to have a special tag. Registration costs nothing. 

     It is a good thing to have the appropriate vest, and/or an orange leash with the words service dog, clearly printed thereon. Personally, I also carry a copy of the ADA regulations and an excerpt from my state's statutes pertaining to access for service dogs and handlers.

     It is acceptable to treat a service dog or puppy in training as a service dog, provided training is in progress, and the animal is well-behaved. Good citizenship is never optional, not on the part of handler or dog. Misrepresenting or faking disability, failing to ensure the dog is in excellent condition, failing to clean up after the dog, permitting aggressive behaviors on part of a service dog ... all take away from the disabled community and endanger the public.  

     Find out more about reasonable accommodations for companion animals and service animals in housing by accessing HUD and public housing authority sites. Find out more about the changing roles of service dogs, and how to acquire a service dog:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_dog and http://herizenfyre-ivil.tripod.com/helperdogs/id4.html 

Remember, the responsibility of a handler is a heavy one, and ensure your service dog gets excellent nutrition, vet care, quality time, plenty of fresh air and sunshine, time off for fun ... give your dog all the things that make life worthwhile for both of you.