Hiya! Welcome back to my blog. Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, but things have been very busy, and then Mom got sick again, so we're just getting back to "normal"... for now ;-)
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We had a question from Nancy (hi, Nancy!) from the German Shepherd Group on Myspace....(shout out to the penguins!!!) Nancy brought up a great point that not all people may know exactly what a service dog is, does, and other things that aren't common knowledge.
So.... today I'm going to talk about WHAT exactly a service dog is, what they do, who they help and some little known facts that people might find interesting.
Welcome, to Service Dogs 101!
Okay...first of all, a service dog (sometimes referred to as an assistance dog), is a dog that has been individually trained to assist a person with disabilities to reliably perform tasks that the person can not do for him/herself.
Because a service dog is specially trained, they are permitted to go where most dogs cannot. They are allowed in stores, restaurants, movie theaters, hospitals, ect...basically, anywhere the general public is allowed to go, a service dog must be granted entry.
A person who is/or wants to be partnered with a service dog must have a documented disability that hinders one or more major life activities as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. (uh, what's that Mom?? Oh, good point!) Mom said to make sure I tell you that not all disabilities are visible, such as traumatic brain injury.
Service dogs provide their partners with daily assistance, making their lives more independent and safe. Partnered patients have reported significant decrease in problematic symptoms, increased self-esteem, lowered blood pressure and many other benefits from their devoted companions.
Most service dogs (but not all) are bred specifically to do their job. Others are rescued from shelters, or start their life in a different job before being trained to assist someone with disabilities.
Service dogs come in all shapes, sizes, breeds, and can be of any gender. It's the individual's ability to do the job well in public and stressful situations that deem it worthy of becoming a service dog.
Not all dogs "make it" as a service dog... in fact, the majority don't. In order to be allowed all the rights provided to service dogs, a trainee must pass a series of very difficult and intense training milestones. They not only must do their job really well in public, but must be able to block out all distractions (such as noise, children, food, and a host of things that some dogs would consider scary).
Some reasons that a dog would "flunk out" of service dog training are: urinating/deficating in public (oh, I would NEVER,EVER do that!!!), destroying property (like store inventory...again, I would NEVER think of doing that!), jumping on people (nope, not me!), being fearful or inattentive in public (can't even imagine), or the biggie: growling, barking, or (heaven forbid!) snapping at another dog or person...this is the end all, be all of service dog flunkees ;-( If a dog is agressive in ANY way, they should NEVER be allowed near the general public; and the handler could be brought up on some serious legal charges should this occur. (Mom advocates for both handlers and businesses who have access issues in court and pre-trial mediations to help settle such issues).
Did you know that there are people out there who actually will try to pass off their pet dogs as service dogs, just cause they want to take them into public places they KNOW they're not allowed to go!? Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, but guess what?!
Not only is it dangerous (cause passed off dogs don't have the training to ensure that they will remain calm in all situations), but it gives REAL service dogs a bad name if they injure or scare someone or break or damage something in a public place.... Not only that, but it is sooooooo ILEEGAL (a federal offense) to do that, too! Mom has helped to prosecute many "fake" service dog teams and they've had to pay some heavy, heavy fines, and some even faced jail time!
Hmmmmm.....let's see...what else???
Oh! I know! It takes about two and a half years to finish up the initial training of a service dog.... and even then, training never really stops. Service dogs are constantly "brushed up" on tasks, learn new ones, and work on obedience to keep them sharp and interested at all times.
Did you know that even though the laws protect people with disabilities who use service dogs, that businesses often illegally turn them away due to lack of education of these laws? That's right! My mom started an educational program that adddresses such issues; and I help demonstrate service dog tasks, too!
The program is called, Canine and Abled, Inc. and you can learn all about it, and LOTS more stuff that I might have forgotten to add here: http://www.canineandabled.com/
Well, it's gettin late, and we have a big demo on Thursday, so tomorrow is packing day! Lots to do, so we gotta get our rest. Can't wait to see you again!
Don't forget to subscribe to my blog, and tell all your friends, too! Got a question for me? Subject suggestion?? Send me your comments! I love to hear from my "fans" ;-)
Till next time, stay cool!
----Nadja
http://www.canineandabled.com/
*****************************************
We had a question from Nancy (hi, Nancy!) from the German Shepherd Group on Myspace....(shout out to the penguins!!!) Nancy brought up a great point that not all people may know exactly what a service dog is, does, and other things that aren't common knowledge.
So.... today I'm going to talk about WHAT exactly a service dog is, what they do, who they help and some little known facts that people might find interesting.
Welcome, to Service Dogs 101!
Okay...first of all, a service dog (sometimes referred to as an assistance dog), is a dog that has been individually trained to assist a person with disabilities to reliably perform tasks that the person can not do for him/herself.
Because a service dog is specially trained, they are permitted to go where most dogs cannot. They are allowed in stores, restaurants, movie theaters, hospitals, ect...basically, anywhere the general public is allowed to go, a service dog must be granted entry.
A person who is/or wants to be partnered with a service dog must have a documented disability that hinders one or more major life activities as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. (uh, what's that Mom?? Oh, good point!) Mom said to make sure I tell you that not all disabilities are visible, such as traumatic brain injury.
Service dogs provide their partners with daily assistance, making their lives more independent and safe. Partnered patients have reported significant decrease in problematic symptoms, increased self-esteem, lowered blood pressure and many other benefits from their devoted companions.
Most service dogs (but not all) are bred specifically to do their job. Others are rescued from shelters, or start their life in a different job before being trained to assist someone with disabilities.
Service dogs come in all shapes, sizes, breeds, and can be of any gender. It's the individual's ability to do the job well in public and stressful situations that deem it worthy of becoming a service dog.
Not all dogs "make it" as a service dog... in fact, the majority don't. In order to be allowed all the rights provided to service dogs, a trainee must pass a series of very difficult and intense training milestones. They not only must do their job really well in public, but must be able to block out all distractions (such as noise, children, food, and a host of things that some dogs would consider scary).
Some reasons that a dog would "flunk out" of service dog training are: urinating/deficating in public (oh, I would NEVER,EVER do that!!!), destroying property (like store inventory...again, I would NEVER think of doing that!), jumping on people (nope, not me!), being fearful or inattentive in public (can't even imagine), or the biggie: growling, barking, or (heaven forbid!) snapping at another dog or person...this is the end all, be all of service dog flunkees ;-( If a dog is agressive in ANY way, they should NEVER be allowed near the general public; and the handler could be brought up on some serious legal charges should this occur. (Mom advocates for both handlers and businesses who have access issues in court and pre-trial mediations to help settle such issues).
Did you know that there are people out there who actually will try to pass off their pet dogs as service dogs, just cause they want to take them into public places they KNOW they're not allowed to go!? Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, but guess what?!
Not only is it dangerous (cause passed off dogs don't have the training to ensure that they will remain calm in all situations), but it gives REAL service dogs a bad name if they injure or scare someone or break or damage something in a public place.... Not only that, but it is sooooooo ILEEGAL (a federal offense) to do that, too! Mom has helped to prosecute many "fake" service dog teams and they've had to pay some heavy, heavy fines, and some even faced jail time!
Hmmmmm.....let's see...what else???
Oh! I know! It takes about two and a half years to finish up the initial training of a service dog.... and even then, training never really stops. Service dogs are constantly "brushed up" on tasks, learn new ones, and work on obedience to keep them sharp and interested at all times.
Did you know that even though the laws protect people with disabilities who use service dogs, that businesses often illegally turn them away due to lack of education of these laws? That's right! My mom started an educational program that adddresses such issues; and I help demonstrate service dog tasks, too!
The program is called, Canine and Abled, Inc. and you can learn all about it, and LOTS more stuff that I might have forgotten to add here: http://www.canineandabled.com/
Well, it's gettin late, and we have a big demo on Thursday, so tomorrow is packing day! Lots to do, so we gotta get our rest. Can't wait to see you again!
Don't forget to subscribe to my blog, and tell all your friends, too! Got a question for me? Subject suggestion?? Send me your comments! I love to hear from my "fans" ;-)
Till next time, stay cool!
----Nadja
http://www.canineandabled.com/
4 comments:
Hey Nadja!
I'm a service dog with a blog too! And my mom has that same "em es" thing that your mom has.
Wags and woofs,
Logan
Hey Nadja!What about people with alergees? Can a service talk to be forced out of a building if somone claims they had server alergic reactiosn to animals?Kaitlin
Hey Nadja!
I'm an assistance dog in training. I'm looking forward to reading your blog. You can check out my blog if you want to.
Cheers,
Beta
Hi, everyone! Thank you for commenting on my blog!
Nice to "meet" all of you ;-)
Kaitlin,
No, a service dog can not be forced out of a building because someone has an alergy.
If this is the case, the business must make reasonable accomodations to split up the SD and the person with alergies (i.e., seating the SD team on the other side of the room as someone with alergies).
Logan and Beta; it's so nice to meet other service dogs! Welcome! Hope to "see" you again! Drop by anytime!
---Nadja
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