|
This has come up on other threads, and I finally decided to put it all in one place. I've been partnered with Service Dogs since 1997, specifically Seizure Alerters. Due to the fact that I was one of the earlier Seizure Dog people, a lot of the things I wrote to various service dog groups have been incorporated into their training. First things first: Here are the Official ADA rules concerning Service Animals. http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm This is a huge topic, and there's a lot to cover. Fist I want you to meet my partners. Imgur was spiteful this morning. If I can get it soothed there will pics. The first was the incredible Cybele, a black Standard Poodle. She was my first Poodle, and if I'd known what it would be like I would never have owned any other kind of dog. She was the first to detect my seizures. She was so good she could give me up to 20 minutes warning time for a severe one. Deducing what she was responding to, how she was determining what was going to happen, and how she was warning me were a very long process. She was frustrated as hell; I know she wanted us to speak a sophisticated language like Poodle, so she could get it through our thick simian skulls. But we can only grunt and sputter, so we had to use what we were given. Fortunately we eventually worked it out. The second was Portia, our genius. We didn't realize how smart she was until we took her down to be bred, where she promptly outsmarted my co-owner/breeder/trainer. Portia was amazingly calm. Are you going to die? No? Ok, then, I can go back to performing unnatural acts with my boyfriend, the cat. My current is Mia, a silver Standard Poodle and Portia's half sister. Her story is convoluted. A show puppy, she was dumped back at the breeder when her people divorced. Confused and frightened, she was in desperate need of help when we arrived with Portia for breeding. We asked if there was a 'loaner' who needed extra attention for a few weeks while Portia was with her family. That was 10 years ago. She's worked for me ever since. Mia is sweet-natured, with a gentle, loving face that reflects her personality. She has a quiet intelligence that can fool people into thinking she isn't as smart as she is. However, she only has to be shown something once or twice to understand what is being asked of her. She has her own table at a couple of local restaurants. Anyway, that's the start. Fire away!
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 19:09 |
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2013 17:38 |
|
|
Do you have any stories where you were confronted by stupid/uninformed people, treated poorly or denied access due to your partner?
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 19:29 |
|
|
Why the poodle breed? Have you tried minature horses? I just read those on the website, had no idea. What do you do when you fly?
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 20:34 |
|
|
How does your dog alert you that a seizure is coming?
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 20:43 |
|
|
Someone told me that petting a service animal is the worst possible thing to do. Is this true or was my friend intensely paranoid?
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 20:58 |
|
|
Jet Set Jettison posted:Someone told me that petting a service animal is the worst possible thing to do. Is this true or was my friend intensely paranoid? I have a different type of service dog and generally the advice I give is that you never should just run up and pet the animal, always ask its handler for permission first (which you should do with any dog, but it's especially important with any kind of working or service animal). If the handler says no, it's most likely because petting the dog then will interfere with its work or training. I don't know about for disability service animals though, I'd assume the basic guideline is the same but I don't know if it's appropriate to ask in the first place. OP, thanks for posting this thread. Can you go into more detail about training a seizure alert dog? Is it something they do naturally and then you reinforce the behavior? How much are you personally involved in training your dog? In theory, could you train a seizure dog and then give it to someone else, and have it detect their seizures, or is it a more personal thing (I ask because it seems like epilepsy and other seizure disorders manifest in so many different ways, I'm curious how general the training is)? I have heard that standard poodles are often not preferred as service dogs because they're too independent. Do you disagree with that, or does it not apply to seizure alert dogs because of the nature of the work? Obviously you've had great luck with them and I love standard poodles so I'm not trying to knock the breed, just curious.  Do you have any involvement with other types of service dogs, like guide dogs for the blind or psychiatric service dogs, or do you pretty much just do seizure alert dogs? Sorry for all the questions, I'm very curious. Thanks again for posting.
|
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 22:28 |
|
|
EVG posted:Do you have any stories where you were confronted by stupid/uninformed people, treated poorly or denied access due to your partner? Hi all. I didn't expect anyone to comment! The answer is: Yes. TV, Intertubes & such have done a reasonably good job of educating people about the existence of Service Dogs. Many people accept that they are something that is out there, somewhere, where the TV cameras roam. However, there's a big difference between knowing something intellectually and seeing it live. Lots of people are stunned to see that there's a real, bona fide living dog in the restaurant, movie, store--and it's not raising holy hell. At a buffet one of the servers said, "My dog would be going crazy", and someone else said, "Mine would be on the table." There's a couple of really nasty incidents that stand out. We were going to Comiccon and had rooms at a small chain motel. The manager, an elderly Chinese man, refused to let us in. We called the national office, and they argued with him for over an hour before he finally gave in. He wouldn't help us, though, by doing things like sending us towels or TP. When his granddaughter showed up later in the week, she apologized profusely, but by then the damage was done--we'd already reported them. A truly embarrassing one was at a Chili's nearby. We were led to our booth, sat done, and within seconds the family across from us demanded to see the manager--by shouting "I don't want that motherfuckin dog bitin me or my kids! I gots my rights!" The manager moved us farther away from them (fine by me, I didn't like the crap they were saying) but we could still hear them bitching about the dog hair (nice try--Poodles don't shed) and how if a black woman brought a dog the Chili's would call the cops, and on and on. Our poor waitress was also embarrassed--she apparently knew them, and said they were always trying to scam free meals. It was a very uncomfortable dinner. But the ultimate was when the county of Los Angeles Animal Control decided that only K-9 units could be Service Dogs. That led to a lawsuit--they sued me--that cost a small fortune, caused endless stress for over a year, and required an actual hearing with a judge. If the DA hadn't refused to take the case, we'd still be in court. And as for suing LA County? Forget it. They're bankrupt. Even if they weren't, they'd drag it out forever, because they can.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 01:46 |
|
|
Who trains the dogs? is it a nonprofit or government agency? what qualifications do you need to train a service dog?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 01:50 |
|
|
Darth123123 posted:Why the poodle breed? I'm allergic to dogs. I can be licked by Poodles with no problem. My sister's Dobie licks me? Rash & allergy attack. I had malamutes for years. It sucked having these big fluffy loveballs I couldn't hug. The only local groomer who could handle my big girl Monjour (R.I.P) also raised & showed Standard Poodles. I saw one of hers hanging around the shop & fell in love. She later won at Westminister. When Monjour had to be put down, I asked to be on the puppy list. That brought me Cybele. The miniature horses have been working for many years. They excel at certain tasks. Since they can & do live so long (30 years or more) they are a great alternative to dogs. But there are issues unique to them. They do take longer to train, and there are very few people who undertake the job. On an airplane, Mia sits with me. Usually she lays on my feet.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 01:55 |
|
|
Karupin posted:How does your dog alert you that a seizure is coming? This is the big one. I train for a 'silent' alert. I don't want her barking or running for someone, though both are done by others. Mia will come to me and sit on my right side. She will then use her nose to nudge me, or paw me. I put my hand on her to ride it out. If I've started and she wasn't there (in another room at home) she will instantly come to the hand and sit down. At home she'll shove my husband out of the way so she can do her job. She's clearly saying "I've got this--I'm a professional!" If she can't get to my right, she'll use the left--but then it's on me to understand what's happening. One of the toughest things to remember when with a Service Dog is that the dog is almost always right. Mia's accuracy is 90%.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 02:03 |
|
|
Khazar-khum posted:But the ultimate was when the county of Los Angeles Animal Control decided that only K-9 units could be Service Dogs. That led to a lawsuit--they sued me--that cost a small fortune, caused endless stress for over a year, and required an actual hearing with a judge. If the DA hadn't refused to take the case, we'd still be in court. And as for suing LA County? Forget it. They're bankrupt. Even if they weren't, they'd drag it out forever, because they can. Wait, what? Could you go into more detail? I read a local news story about a group raising money to buy some guy a seeing eye dog, apparently the dog cost $40,000. The news story didn't explain, but could you shed some light on this pricetag? Although, it sounds like you train your own dogs and they are for completely different purposes, so maybe you don't know. Am just curious. How can she tell you're about to have a seizure? 20 minutes ahead of time sounds crazy to me, but I know nothing about seizures.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 02:09 |
|
|
Jet Set Jettison posted:Someone told me that petting a service animal is the worst possible thing to do. Is this true or was my friend intensely paranoid? Your friend is paranoid. There is no way you can prevent people from touching the dog, unless you want to go around with a spiked forcefield of fiery death. Well, now that you mention it, it would be fun to have that, but still. Most people know not to touch a strange dog, but there's always drunks, really tiny kids, and people for whom the rules just don't apply. The dog has to be able to deal with that. I do insist on a jacket that clearly says "Service Dog", so that employees, parents & other customers understand why Mia is there. I really dislike people who only use a tag or little badge clipped to the collar. People are visual. We need big, bright visual clues like a red jacket. We do have a special protocol for meeting people. I ask the person, "would you like to say hello?" If the answer is Yes, then Mia gets the command 'Visit'. She can then be petted while I answer questions about her. Service Dogs shouldn't be distracted from their work, of course. Always ask the person.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 02:15 |
|
|
Do you ever get "Service dog? Yeah right buddy, you're not blind!" comments?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 02:45 |
|
|
2tomorrow posted:I have a different type of service dog and generally the advice I give is that you never should just run up and pet the animal, always ask its handler for permission first (which you should do with any dog, but it's especially important with any kind of working or service animal). If the handler says no, it's most likely because petting the dog then will interfere with its work or training. What up? Feel free to join in! What does your dog do? quote:I don't know about for disability service animals though, I'd assume the basic guideline is the same but I don't know if it's appropriate to ask in the first place. I have no problem fielding questions concerning just about anything having to do with the dogs. Some people are touchy as hell, and I understand that. Seeing Eye dog? Hey, cool. Dog and a wheelchair patient? Great. Someone with no obvious disability with a dog? You're a cheating SOB who wants to bring a pet in the store so I'm gonna go get my Service Giraffe and so on. quote:
This will take a while. Settle in, put up your feet & relax. I wasn't properly diagnosed until 1997. Depression & anxiety have always been my friends, along with bronchial asthma, endless allergies and strange behavior no one understood. I've had MRIs, EEGs, CT scans, and no cause has been found. I even had a seizure during an EEG--and it didn't register, because it was deeper than the EEG could detect. If I hadn't had one in the Dr's office, I might still be undiagnosed. Enter Cybele. We had just moved, she was being her high energy playful self, when suddenly I woke up on the floor and she was lying on me. We soon understood she was guarding me during a seizure. But then we noticed she came over and started leaning on me, like she was trying to hold me in place, before the seizure happened. So she knew, somehow. But how? We racked our brains. Was she psychic? Attractive as that was, we knew it had to actually be something she could notice but we couldn't. I do have an advantage--I have several seizures daily, so we had a lot to work with. Over months of frustrating experiments we finally realized she was responding to a scent. As the seizure approached there was some kind of chemical buildup/manufacture she could smell, and that told her it was time to get over here. There are some people who will tell you that what you just read is not possible. In 1997 every epilepsy group I contacted said that no dog did that. Here I am, looking at Cybele, and I'm being told by someone 900 miles away that she doesn't do what I called about. In 1997 most service dog organizations were skeptical. I finally got the IAADP to issue me a little card. There are currently a few different approaches for training a Seizure Alerter. The usual way is to teach the desired behaviors, like towing you to safety, guarding, etc to the dog, and then teaching you & the dog to work together. Ideally the dog will learn your scent and it will go from there. There's a lot to recommend this, but it has it's problems, too. My co-breeder/groomer/owner/trainer has taken what I showed her and run with it. She has her pupils bring their dogs, and in a series of classes the dogs learn to respond to their partners' specific signals. She recently went to London to teach her methods. In a way it's come full circle: Guide dogs originally came from Europe (Germany) and now we're helping them with other types of dogs. quote:I have heard that standard poodles are often not preferred as service dogs because they're too independent. Do you disagree with that, or does it not apply to seizure alert dogs because of the nature of the work? Obviously you've had great luck with them and I love standard poodles so I'm not trying to knock the breed, just curious. Standard Poodles are like a four year old. There are some lines that have a strong working instinct; they're hunters, after all. Those lines make for good partners. Another good one is a former show dog that just never made it. Retired show dogs have a huge advantage: they've already learned that they must pay attention to the person on the other end of the leash & ignore everything else, no matter how tempting. I've just done the seizure work, but I have a friend with a psychiatric helper, and of course there's my co-breeder. She's trained hearing dogs (she's almost deaf), seizure dogs, psychiatric dogs, trauma helpers, and autism helpers.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 03:06 |
|
|
Do we know how the dogs know that you are going to have a seizure? edit- answered above This is fascinating stuff, I wonder what the future holds. Thanks for a great thread! automatic fucked around with this message at Dec 6, 2012 around 03:22 |
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 03:16 |
|
|
laylow posted:Who trains the dogs? is it a nonprofit or government agency? what qualifications do you need to train a service dog? I train my own dogs, but I've been doing this for some time now. Many of the issue-specific organizations know of or sponsor trainers. Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Seeing Eye are the best known, but there's lots of others. I've been pestering my co-everything to break down and become a charity, but she's going through a lot right now and can't do it, and I can't do it for her. The absolute basic training can be done by anyone, because it's actually the CGC: AKC's Canine Good Citizen. Any dog can and every dog should at least try to do this. http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/train...ting.cfm?page=3 Once this has been done, the dog moves on to specialized training.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 03:17 |
|
|
drat Bananas posted:Wait, what? Could you go into more detail? As for the first, this is one in a series of articles I wrote for the Dog Press while it was unfolding: http://www.thedogpress.com/SideEffe...09052_Byrne.asp That's Mia, editing my paperwork. I had the Flu of Death when that picture was taken. BTW, just last week Animal Control came around again to 'check'--and hadno record of Service Dogs at our address. I hate LA county. The high cost of a Service Dog just about covers the intense training they receive. Some of the charities will donate the dog to the person--the Guide Dog ones do this, for example. Others ask for a small donation to show good faith.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 03:24 |
|
|
INTJ Mastermind posted:Do you ever get "Service dog? Yeah right buddy, you're not blind!" comments? All. The Time. I've had people threaten to call the cops. I had one guy try to kick Portia. I've had lots of people stage whisper "That's not a seeing eye dog!" Depending on my mood I will go to them and try to educate them. Some people get too offended when called out on their crap. I usually try to be polite and nice when talking to people like that, but it can be tough at times. A few weeks ago I lost it at the Bastard Robbins when the girl asked me to leave. I later apologized, but dammit, I shouldn't have had to teach an employee the law. There's a couple of companies that make little business-sized cards explaining the law that I hand out. I keep them in a pocket on Mia's vest, so it looks even more official. We go through a lot of them.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 03:32 |
|
|
Along those lines, do you ever get offended when people ask what she does for you? It's usually one of the first things out of my mouth, because I like workin' dogs and I actually want to know, you know, what kind of work your dog is doing, but I'd guess that some people get sneery and mean it more like "why the gently caress do you need a dog?"? I've seen a couple of poodles working before and it's always awesome. I saw a dane working about a month ago.  I like it when it's not all goldens and labs.And you're awesome for having little business cards, too.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 12:12 |
|
|
OP thanks for sharing, I think I had read your stories in another thread - I remember the part about "I'm a professional!" at least. Thanks for making a thread. Do you play with your service dogs? I love dogs and play with them a lot, I couldn't imagine having a dog and not playing with them, but does it interfere with their training?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 13:18 |
|
|
You said your dog guards you during a seizure. How fiercely? If a stranger tried to give aid would the dog growl at or bite them?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 14:03 |
|
|
The part about the dogs sensing the scent 20 minutes before a seizure is fascinating. Have you thought of finding out what the chemical compound is, maybe for use with an electronic nose-type device? Are there any drugs that, shot into the bloodstream during those 20 minutes, could prevent a seizure?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 16:27 |
|
|
I love seeing poodles used as service dogs! I think they have a deeply intuitive sensibility that makes them uniquely fitted for the work. Eagerly awaiting poodle pics itt.
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 16:53 |
|
|
Do service dogs ever retire? If so, does the owner get to keep him as a pet and get a new service dog?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 17:04 |
|
|
How does having that 20 minute warning benefit you? Do you take any medication then, or do you find a place to sit or lie down in case you lose consciousness? What are your seizure symptoms, do you just space out standing up, or do you visibly convulse?
|
| # ? Dec 6, 2012 18:18 |
|
|
I know nothing about this subject, and the only scepticism I'm picking up is slightly visible from your own posts about the subject, but here goes. How much scientific support is out there today that a dog could potentially smell/otherwise detect an oncoming seizure? You mentioned you struggled to make people believe you in 1997, has anything changed today? Are there are good studies on the subject? Were you the first person you know of to have a seizure-detecting dog?
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 02:26 |
|
|
What are your thoughts on teaching dogs to drive?
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 02:40 |
|
|
Considering that dogs can smell cancer I have no real problems accepting that they can detect oncoming seizures through smell as well. How severe are your seizures and when your dog alerts can do you anything other than just hold on for the ride?
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 08:55 |
|
|
Captain Mediocre posted:I know nothing about this subject, and the only scepticism I'm picking up is slightly visible from your own posts about the subject, but here goes. How much scientific support is out there today that a dog could potentially smell/otherwise detect an oncoming seizure? You mentioned you struggled to make people believe you in 1997, has anything changed today? Are there are good studies on the subject? Were you the first person you know of to have a seizure-detecting dog? The ability of dogs to sense seizures is not well documented yet, but they are widely used and the OP is far from the only person to have seizure alert canine. There is a wide basis of support for the science behind training these dogs, and several studies on their ability to detect cancer as well as the behavior of the seizure alert. I'm not sure why you feel the need to be skeptical of someone who needs assistance, but here's some articles for you. 4Paws For Ability article National Geographic article People have a tendency to see someone moving without a cane and not in a wheelchair so they feel entitled to assume that person is 'faking it' and doesn't deserve to have their dog with them, but a seizure alert dog definitely needs to be with their person 100% of the time, for the safety of all involved. Captain Foxy fucked around with this message at Dec 7, 2012 around 15:07 |
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 15:04 |
|
|
How do you feel about people who DO 'fake' having a service dog? I know it happens. Some lady at a dog park was even bragging about how she flew her golden on vacation with her for free by claiming it was a service dog and didn't have to pay to kennel/ship her. Ugh.
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 17:20 |
|
|
EVG posted:How do you feel about people who DO 'fake' having a service dog? I know it happens. Some lady at a dog park was even bragging about how she flew her golden on vacation with her for free by claiming it was a service dog and didn't have to pay to kennel/ship her. Ugh. I can imagine a non-verbal    sort of thing goes on when two fakers see each other in public.Have you ever encountered someone who was 'faking it' when you were out with your real service animal?
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 19:29 |
|
|
Captain Foxy posted:The ability of dogs to sense seizures is not well documented yet, but they are widely used and the OP is far from the only person to have seizure alert canine. There is a wide basis of support for the science behind training these dogs, and several studies on their ability to detect cancer as well as the behavior of the seizure alert. I'm not sure why you feel the need to be skeptical of someone who needs assistance, but here's some articles for you. Thanks for the links. I notice the NatGeo article states that there haven't yet been any scientific studies on the subject though. And I'm not feeling the need to be skeptical of her because of her problem. I sympathise with her condition, and if I had a dog that could look after me in such a critical way as hers can I would certainly expect it to be accredited as a service dog. I am asking, however, because of her own comments that epilepsy organizations and service dog centres didn't believe her when she discovered her dog could smell oncoming seizures in 1997. I think that raises some alarm bells and potentially warrants clarification. If the answer is as simple as that we've come a long way since 1997 in our understanding of this type of service dog, then that would be sufficient. Even from your links however, this still strikes me as an issue of some controversy. OP, I have already said I don't know anything about this subject, so I hope you don't take my questioning for anything other than desire to learn more about it. But in your opinion, do you still meet resistance at a professional/scientific level about your dogs alleged capabilities? Could you maybe elaborate further on why epilepsy organizations didn't believe you, and has this situation changed at all?
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 20:16 |
|
|
It's not really a controversy in terms of acceptance; seizure alert/response dogs are classified as service dogs under the ADA. The OP can answer better about how that affects her experience, as I imagine there is still a lot of resistance from those who don't know/don't care about ADA rules. I did mention there hadn't been any studies done, but there have been studies done of cancer-detecting abilities and those studies show correlation to seizure detection. It's very hard to do a proper study, as I understand it, because the 'triggers' the dog picks up on are still unknown, but it's not unknown that dogs will pick up on them. I understand what you're saying about clarification/support in terms of the scientific community, but since the OP's dog is clearly already functioning as a seizure service animal, I think it's a moot point. Even if the scientific community doesn't have studies backing the OP up, the dog still does the alert/response behavior. We have indeed come a looong way from 1997, since there were virtually no dog behavior studies done at that point, and a huge number have been done since then.
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 21:18 |
|
|
This is probably more a UK specific question about service dogs, but maybe some one knows. Guide dogs for the blind is a long established thing here, and its great for independance and helping blind people get by. Dog poo poo is the thing I wonder about. In the UK there are strict laws about picking up your dogs' poo poo and disposing of it so it doesn't cause a health hazard in public places. Which is a good thing. Do these laws still apply to the partially sighted / blind? Or are the dogs trained only to poo poo at home and not out in the street? I only ask because the thought of someone on their hands and knees feeling round for the soft squidgy stuff is slightly disturbing. And how do they know their dog is having a poo poo in the first place?
|
| # ? Dec 7, 2012 22:27 |
|
|
General China posted:Do these laws still apply to the partially sighted / blind? Or are the dogs trained only to poo poo at home and not out in the street? I only ask because the thought of someone on their hands and knees feeling round for the soft squidgy stuff is slightly disturbing. And how do they know their dog is having a poo poo in the first place? Part of basic training for a guide dog is poopin' on command, so you know they won't go when they're out-and-about.
|
| # ? Dec 8, 2012 00:09 |
|
|
I worked at a convenience store and had a situation involving a service dog and it raised a lot of questions. Even though I'm sure it makes me look like one of those villainous, animal hating, rights-denying, minimum wage rat bastards, I'll just lay it out and ask my questions. There was a man (Will) who came into the store multiple times a day. He was a pseudo-homeless alcoholic but was mostly very friendly if a bit too talkative. He had a dog (Mouse) who was super sweet and calm. Mouse was a pit bull and was always right by his side (he did have her on a leash, but it was a length of nylon rope). In the beginning, he would walk up to the store with her and leave her outside by the door where she would plop down and wait patiently. One day it was pouring rain and he asked if she could sit right inside the door and promised she wouldn't be any trouble. We said it was fine of course and she just laid there wagging happily until he left. He said that she was a service dog and that he had a hearing disability which no one questioned. After that, things started getting a bit muddy. From then on Mouse would come inside with him and soon he was having her lay in front of the counter while he stood and chatted. Some people are scared of dogs. Some are scared TO DEATH of dogs and we had a couple people come in and begin screaming and run out the door. Some would approach the store, see the dog through the glass, and leave. Some came inside to get their things and just glare hatefully at Will while they waited for him to leave so they could approach the register. Some didn't care at all. I started to question whether Mouse actually was a service dog, or just a guy's companion who was extremely well behaved so I went to the manager about it. My main concern wasn't over the dog causing trouble, but rather people's extreme reaction to the dog causing it to panic or get agitated. What if someone stepped on her tail while approaching the register and Mouse yelped or nipped at the person? Would Will fly off the handle and do something? Would the person call the police to have the dog put down? What if some person flipped out and threw something at the dog? The questions I asked the manager were: Is she really a service dog? What if something happens and someone or the dog gets hurt? What should I tell Will? Apparently the manager had a talk with him but I don't know the outcome. I do know that Will hasn't come back to the store since, and while it makes me sad because he was a pleasant person, I wonder if it was because the manager kicked him out or because he got indignant over being asked about it and just never came back. So there's my story. Sorry in advance if you hate me. Here's my questions. Do people with service dogs carry documentation declaring it so? Everyone knows that service dogs are allowed in places where regular dogs aren't but in the case of disabilities that aren't blatantly obvious how do employees know that it isn't just a person with a well trained regular dog? Do service dogs need specific leashes? I know that seeing eye dogs have special harnesses but I think that probably has more to do with making it easy for the blind to be led by the dogs. Can any kind of dog be a service animal? Can pit bulls? Do you understand why people are wary of seeing dogs indoors in public stores? Lots of people have bad experiences with dogs and are afraid of them, regardless of how calm and friendly they are. Employees are wary because if it is just a regular dog and some customer gets bit, they will be out of a job for allowing the situation to even happen. Was I an evil son of a bitch for being concerned? Thanks for reading and excuse the snarkiness. Great thread so far, learning a lot.
|
| # ? Dec 8, 2012 06:22 |
|
|
Pochoclo posted:OP thanks for sharing, I think I had read your stories in another thread - I remember the part about "I'm a professional!" at least. Thanks for making a thread. Sorry about being gone for a couple of days; it's been rough, seizure-wise. Yes, I did talk about Mia in at least one other thread, and her "I'm a professional!" behavior is fun to watch--I guess; I don't recall it, but then I'm in the middle of a seizure. Playtime--you bet. It's a critical part of bonding with your partner. The games vary according to what the dog is trained to do. Mia loves catching balls, but will not play for hours. After about ten minutes she insists I go back to a nice, safe, armchair. Tummy rubs and petting, though, can go until my arm falls off--provided she doesn't have to alert me.
|
| # ? Dec 9, 2012 10:12 |
|
|
Canuckistan posted:You said your dog guards you during a seizure. How fiercely? If a stranger tried to give aid would the dog growl at or bite them? I'll try and answer a few in this one post. What she does is place herself between me and the public, which is usually enough to keep people at a distance. Most people won't challenge a dog they don't know. But she must never, ever growl or threaten to bite. (Barking is OK.) She just slides closer to me, which makes it clear that she is watching over me. People, of course, do real useful things like yell "DO YOU NEED HELP!" at me, over and over and over. I've always wondered what the thought process behind this is. Hmmmm. let's see. She's on the floor, there's a Service Dog with her, she's not responding--what to do? I know! Let's keep yelling! quote:INTJ Mastermind Yes and yes. The dog has bonded intensely with this person. To separate them is cruel. However, they don't always want to retire. They like working, they like going out, and now having all that stop is confusing to them. Ideally the new one and old one work as something of a team while the old one is eased out. quote:Costello Jello There is currently no medicine that can stop seizures. Once they start, you're on your way. Most of mine are the slight shaking type, but it can go from spacing out to violently shaking. The ideal is to sit/lie down through it. They aren't very long; usually just a few seconds, but to an onlooker it seems like forever. One thing to understand about seizures is that they aren't painful. Thry look horrendous, but they don't hurt. Afterwards the buildup of lactic acid hurts. About half the time I get a headache, which, in terms of pain, ranges from pounding like being hit with a bat to a brutal brain freeze.
|
| # ? Dec 9, 2012 10:31 |
|
|
Captain Foxy posted:The ability of dogs to sense seizures is not well documented yet, but they are widely used and the OP is far from the only person to have seizure alert canine. There is a wide basis of support for the science behind training these dogs, and several studies on their ability to detect cancer as well as the behavior of the seizure alert. I'm not sure why you feel the need to be skeptical of someone who needs assistance, but here's some articles for you. Yes, yes & yes. What the dog is actually trained with is called scent discrimination. It's the same principle as bomb-sniffing. The dog learns that this scent is special, and learns to respond appropriately. In 1997 there were a few dogs out there who alerted for seizures; they were widely regarded as mysterious and even angelic. They're now recognized as a critical part of life.
|
| # ? Dec 9, 2012 10:41 |
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2013 17:38 |
|
|
EVG posted:How do you feel about people who DO 'fake' having a service dog? I know it happens. Some lady at a dog park was even bragging about how she flew her golden on vacation with her for free by claiming it was a service dog and didn't have to pay to kennel/ship her. Ugh. Every single person involved with the Service Dog community wants these people to be covered in blood, slowly dragged over fire ant nests, and forced to watch Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Honey Booboo on an infinite loop. We're worried that they will invariably ruin the goodwill and acceptance we've fought so hard for. Have I encountered fakes? Yes. Two guys with a smelly German Shepard. It was pouring rain, so I understand why they wanted her in the restaurant with them, but still. You see, one of the requirements of a Service Dog is that it be 'well-kept', which basically means 'groomed'. They shouldn't stink. Khazar-khum fucked around with this message at Dec 9, 2012 around 10:51 |
| # ? Dec 9, 2012 10:46 |
|
