Tweet
From my understanding of the seizure and diabetic alert dogs, before one is trained the behavior is noticed. So, say a litter of service dog pups is raised by someone who is diabetic. They notice certain puppies change their behavior when their blood sugar is low...become more attentive, whine, try and get the person's attention, sit on their lap, etc. These puppies are then rewarded every time they do that, until they are reliably repeating the behavior every time the blood sugar is low. Voila...the dog is trained in the alert function. Add some good obedience training and you have a service dog. However, you cannot demonstrate to someone else that the dog will react and alert to low blood sugar unless either the certifier hangs out with you all day in the hopes that your blood sugar drops unexpectedly, or you purposefully allow your blood sugar to drop, which is a serious health risk.
Same for seizure dogs. The professional pups are housed with those who suffer seizures and the ones that change their behavior prior to seizure activity are then focused on and rewarded for the behavior until it is reliable and consistant.
I believe there are scent cups for the low blood sugar as well. But my focus isn't on the professionally trained, uber-expensive dogs. Mine is on the individually trained dogs.
Let's say Anne has epilepsy. She notices her new puppy Max whines and sits on her lap five to ten minutes before she experiences seizure activity. She rewards him, and the behavior becomes common and reliable enough that she learns when he does so she needs to take her medication and/or get somewhere safe until the seizure passes. This is a tremendous help for her in public, and Max is docile and well-trained enough to travel with her in public. By ADA guidelines, Max is a service dog, with all the rights and privelages of one.
Now say a license becomes required. How does Anne PROVE that Max alerts her to seizures without A) someone hanging out with her all day in the hopes she will suffer one, or B) going without needed medication in the hopes of bringing one on to prove that he will alert? She can't. And because the dog isn't a $20,000 professionally trained dog, she is refused her license. She can no longer take Max anywhere, and since she no longer has an alert for her seizures in public, her life becomes far more limited.
As to your question regarding my dog, currently she is considered 'in training' under ADA and when she is more reliable, yes she will be a legitamate service dog under the ADA law, and yes...if required I'd be able to demonstrate and prove her retrieving skills. However, I would be extremely irritated at any kind of license or 'proof' required that I need her. Why? Well, your parellel is having to show ID for liquor. I would only have to show it if I went into a bar, or tried to purchase liquor, etc. Now imagine I have a service dog and I go to the mall and out to the movies for a day. Now I have to pull it out and show it at every store I step into. I'm singled out, inconvenienced, and even further attention is drawn to me every time I walk into a store. I'm being 'carded' not for a choice I'm making but for what I am...a disabled person utilizing the best tool that helps her live her life.
You could argue that instead I could use something else to fulfill the same service instead of the dog. Possibly. But now I'm a person walking with a cane, carrying around an unreliable hot water bottle, as well as one of those 'shelf-pickers' so I can pick something up off the floor if I drop it (such as my wallet or keys), which is far more cumbersome and inconvenient than simply holding the leash of a well-behaved dog most people don't even notice is there. I guess I could do what I used to do, and ask any passer-by to pick up my keys...if one happens to pass by, doesn't look at me like I'm crazy and doesn't...God forbid, take off with my keys instead. Or I can crouch and struggle and get put into tears before I finally manage to pick them up myself, and have to cut my day short because I'm now in more pain than before.
And what if I accidentally leave my wallet somewhere? If the card gets lost or stolen? I'm just out of luck, then...oh well. I can leave the dog at home and my day can be ten times harder than necessary, no big deal.
Same for seizure dogs. The professional pups are housed with those who suffer seizures and the ones that change their behavior prior to seizure activity are then focused on and rewarded for the behavior until it is reliable and consistant.
I believe there are scent cups for the low blood sugar as well. But my focus isn't on the professionally trained, uber-expensive dogs. Mine is on the individually trained dogs.
Let's say Anne has epilepsy. She notices her new puppy Max whines and sits on her lap five to ten minutes before she experiences seizure activity. She rewards him, and the behavior becomes common and reliable enough that she learns when he does so she needs to take her medication and/or get somewhere safe until the seizure passes. This is a tremendous help for her in public, and Max is docile and well-trained enough to travel with her in public. By ADA guidelines, Max is a service dog, with all the rights and privelages of one.
Now say a license becomes required. How does Anne PROVE that Max alerts her to seizures without A) someone hanging out with her all day in the hopes she will suffer one, or B) going without needed medication in the hopes of bringing one on to prove that he will alert? She can't. And because the dog isn't a $20,000 professionally trained dog, she is refused her license. She can no longer take Max anywhere, and since she no longer has an alert for her seizures in public, her life becomes far more limited.
As to your question regarding my dog, currently she is considered 'in training' under ADA and when she is more reliable, yes she will be a legitamate service dog under the ADA law, and yes...if required I'd be able to demonstrate and prove her retrieving skills. However, I would be extremely irritated at any kind of license or 'proof' required that I need her. Why? Well, your parellel is having to show ID for liquor. I would only have to show it if I went into a bar, or tried to purchase liquor, etc. Now imagine I have a service dog and I go to the mall and out to the movies for a day. Now I have to pull it out and show it at every store I step into. I'm singled out, inconvenienced, and even further attention is drawn to me every time I walk into a store. I'm being 'carded' not for a choice I'm making but for what I am...a disabled person utilizing the best tool that helps her live her life.
You could argue that instead I could use something else to fulfill the same service instead of the dog. Possibly. But now I'm a person walking with a cane, carrying around an unreliable hot water bottle, as well as one of those 'shelf-pickers' so I can pick something up off the floor if I drop it (such as my wallet or keys), which is far more cumbersome and inconvenient than simply holding the leash of a well-behaved dog most people don't even notice is there. I guess I could do what I used to do, and ask any passer-by to pick up my keys...if one happens to pass by, doesn't look at me like I'm crazy and doesn't...God forbid, take off with my keys instead. Or I can crouch and struggle and get put into tears before I finally manage to pick them up myself, and have to cut my day short because I'm now in more pain than before.
And what if I accidentally leave my wallet somewhere? If the card gets lost or stolen? I'm just out of luck, then...oh well. I can leave the dog at home and my day can be ten times harder than necessary, no big deal.
Comment