It's All About Education

Every time I open my Facebook page, Google alerts, or some other news source and find a notice like the one I read today from Georgia, I’m once again dumbfounded, aghast, and horrified.  This time, it’s not about the employee who yelled and screamed a mother, her child and his service dog out of their convenience store, although that did happen.  (Effectively making it an inconvenience store instead).

While the employee’s reaction is offensive enough on its own merit, this time it is about the response of QT Convenience stores’ corporate spokesperson.  After the incident, they issued the following statement:  “If QT made a mistake, we apologize. We recognize all service dogs in our stores. Our training manuals reflect this. If we must, we may go back and retrain the employee so he understands our procedure.”

IF we made a mistake?  This is an unbelievable, placating, self-serving, “oh, we really didn’t do anything wrong”, statement.  It certainly is not an apology.  If the company’s training manual appropriately addresses service dogs and the Americans with Disabilities Act, wouldn’t they know that the employee had made a “mistake”?  Wouldn’t they jump at the chance to right this wrong?

Read the entire story here.   What are your thoughts?

It’s Not “Just the Facts Ma’am” Any Longer

Service Dog 411 is in the process of fine-tuning an education program about service dogs for the City of Richmond Police Department.  It’s very exciting to know that we are providing this training to all officers as part of their annual training protocols which includes their gun certification.  It will also be part of all future cadet training programs.

One of the things that surprised me about working on this project was a comment made by more than one officer noting that they’d never been offered training about service dogs before.  I was also told that if they’d been called out to a situation involving a SD, not only would they not know what to do, they would have likely sided with the business owner and asked the individual with their SD to leave the premises.

While much of this education is about the ADA, it is also about appropriate service dog protocol, the emotional impact of the independence that comes with having a service dog, and the frustration that comes with being frequently stopped with questions about their dog.  I think one of the most powerful statements in this training is:  “If someone with a service dog tells you they have a disability, you must believe them whether they look disabled or not.” 

We are so excited that beginning now, police officers in the City of Richmond, will not only “know what to do”, they will understand the emotional impact of what they are being asked to do.  If you think the police in your community need this training program, please drop me a note at sue@servicedog411.com.

Disabilities and Bullying

October has a number of “awareness” observations including Disability Awareness and Anti-Bullying Awareness.  While I appreciate that it’s great to raise awareness about these and other issues, I look forward to the day when – as individuals and a society – we are not only aware, but respectful, of individuals who are different from us.  Sadly, I fear that’s pie in the sky thinking.

Many awareness “issues” don’t necessarily go together, such as October’s observance of Health Literacy and National Pizza Month.  But unfortunately, Disabilities Awareness and Anti-Bullying do fit hand in glove.  A recent video making the rounds on social media shows a father and son making fun of a neighbor child with cerebral palsy.  Another recent viral video shows a news reporter from Wisconsin sharing her reaction to a viewer (read bully) who wrote to tell her that she was setting a poor example for young girls by choosing to be fat.

So, how does all this relate to service dogs?  Often the tasks a service dog performs are obvious such as guiding the blind or helping with mobility.  It is a socially accepted practice to accommodate service dogs for people whose disabilities are apparent.  For people who use a service dog to perform tasks related to an invisible disability, it becomes a bit more iffy.  Having a service dog’s assistance to cope with diabetes, PTSD, seizures, or other life-threatening, yet indiscernible disability, effectively creates a spotlight that says “This person has a disability.”  Seeking the help showcases the need.

Every day people who utilize a service dog to mitigate their struggle with an invisible disability put themselves in a position to be bullied.  Business owners who are unaware of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) see someone who is not blind or in a wheelchair headed through the front door with a dog.  Omigosh, a dog!!  “Hey, you can’t have that dog in here!”  And so the confrontation begins.  What started out as a simple attempt to dine in a great new restaurant, shop in a trendy new boutique, or simply get groceries, devolves into an altercation that creates unwanted public attention spotlighting a very personal matter.  Seldom is the matter handled in a quiet, unobtrusive and respectful manner.

Why should this be considered bullying?  Well, a bully is often self-important and self-righteous using their aggressive behavior to mask an insecurity or lack of knowledge.  And, when someone tries to browbeat another person into giving up their rights, well, that’s bullying.

The Service Dog Information Tsunami

This post originally appeared as a guest blog on www.diabeticalertdogs.blogspot.com.  
It's a great resource for information about Diabetic Alert Dogs.

Congratulations!  You’ve decided to explore the idea that a service dog might help provide you with increased independence or an enhanced quality of life.

You’re having a good day – one mixed in with all the bad days – so you open your computer and start your Internet search.  You type in “Service Dogs” and lo and behold, you get 31 million links to follow.  Now what?  Where do you start … what do you click on first?  And, just suppose you find a site that looks pretty good to you … what questions should you ask?

The first thing you need to remember is that for many service dog organizations, it is their job to sell you on their program.  They will tell you why they’re the best and many times, they’ll tell you what they think you want to hear.  Reputable organizations will tell you the truth… “we’re not a good fit for you”, or “we don’t think our trainers can train what you need”.  But often an organization will sell you hope.  Hope that things will get better just as soon as you get a dog in your life.  

It’s not enough to know what questions to ask.  You need to understand the answers you should get in return.  So, here are few questions to consider and answers that make sense.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a place to start.

Start your journey before you ever crack open your laptop by contemplating your lifestyle, the amount of time you have available for training, your commitment of financial resources, training preference style (doing it yourself by working with a qualified trainer or waiting for an organization to provide a fully trained dog) and whether your disability is static or changing.  The answers to these questions will inform the direction your research should take.

Q) Do you offer your program to people who reside outside your geographic area?  Do you have any age restrictions?  A) You will first want to know whether or not the program will accept you as an applicant presuming their program is a good fit for your disability.  Age restriction will be an important factor if you are searching for a service dog for a child.  Many organizations will not place a service dog for applicants under the age of 12.

Q) What types of programs do you offer?  Do you have a specific specialty?  A) Some programs specialize in one or two types of training.  For example, training a diabetic alert dog is not the same training that would be used for training a dog for post-traumatic stress.  Make certain the organization has qualified and experienced trainers who excel at training these types of tasks and behaviors.  Ask them how many dogs they’ve placed and over what period of time.

Q) Where do you obtain the dogs used in your program?  Do you have your own breeding program?  What breeds do you typically use?  A) There is no right or wrong answer here.  You simply want to ensure that the dogs are temperament and personality tested (and scent tested if for medical alert work) to ensure they are the right fit for service work.  Keep in mind that rescue dogs will not come with a health guarantee but can still make an awesome service dog.

Q) What do you charge for placing and/or training a service dog?  How long is the waiting list?  And, how old are the dogs when they are typically placed?  Do you guarantee a match?  A) Prices range anywhere from $20,000 to free of charge depending on the organization.  The waiting list can be from a couple of months to as long as five years.  And, a fully trained dog will likely be between 18 and 24 months when placed; partially trained or untrained dogs can be placed as young as 4-5 months.  Some organizations offer and/or encourage fundraising as a way to pay for the cost of the dog.

Q) How long do you follow a client after they are placed with a dog?  Does the client have the opportunity to receive follow-up training if necessary?  A) Organizations should ideally have a policy that follows their clients for the working life of the service dog.

And, if you decide that your one day of feeling good isn’t quite enough to manage this tsunami of information, consider contacting Service Dog 411.  For a very small fee, we’ll consult with you about what you need and the process involved in selecting a provider.  We’ll work with you, one-on-one, helping to determine YOUR best course of action.  Leaving you more time to take care of yourself, your health or the health of a loved one.

 

What does peace of mind look like?

Well, it just might look like a sleeping dog. 

Type 1 Diabetes is a silent killer.  Parents of Type 1 children are particularly vulnerable to the horrors and ravages of the disease when they watch their children head off to bed each night.  Heart in throat, sweaty palms, they hold their breath, set their alarms and just like any gambling endeavor, they hope the numbers will be good.  A good number means they can go to sleep.  Either too high or too low (both are dangerous) means a night of staying up, waiting and watching, poking little fingers with needles to test.

Enter a Diabetic Alert Dog (DAD).  Fairly new to the service dog scene, DADs are trained to tell their person with an alert when their blood sugar is out of bounds … either too high or too low.  And they’re typically on it some 20-40 minutes before the diabetic feels it or the glucose monitor rings an alarm.

So what about that sleeping dog?  As one mom put it … “my daughter slipped off to sleep in the middle of family movie night.  And, because her DAD was snoozing peacefully by her side … I knew it wasn’t a coma … just a nap.  Knowing her DAD was on duty, my heart rate never changed.”

Diabetic Alert Dogs are becoming a more accepted tool in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemic unawareness.  And because of that, and like anything that’s new and good, there are predators who take advantage of vulnerable families and moms who only want their children to wake up in the morning.  On the flip side, there are some awesome organizations that are doing great work, and some remarkable trainers who “get it”. 

Looking to bring a DAD into your life?  Do your homework.  Ask Questions.  Lots of Questions.  Get lots of answers.  Confused?  Don’t know what to ask?  Start here.  Then come on back to Service Dog 411 to get started on your journey.