This was great! I love the description of a service dog as "medical equipment." I find the thought of non-qualifying people wanting a service animal as some kind of life accessory to be disturbing.
I had a prospective employer once ask me "well isn't there some machine that can do what your dog does?" The answer was no -- science has yet to develop a machine that could give me a reliable 20 minute notice before a seizure hits, or one that would notify my family when my blood pressure bottoms out without warning (these two things coinciding are why I coded in 2011).
But a lot of people just see the cute furry pooch and never think that there's a reason she's with me.
I've read and learned a bit about service animals after I was totally confused upon seeing a "service animal" vest on a bird website. I have a cockatiel and, while I was browsing bird harnesses, saw this parrot vest and I was like... what? You can't just... buy a service animal vest and put it on an animal...? That's not how that works, right
( ... )
In some ways, the vests being available are wonderful. Many disabled folks can't afford the program fees for a program trained SD, which are generally around $20,000 and may or may not provide a dog trained to the standards advertised. The well-run free programs have waiting lists for placement of four years or more, and often require the handler to live in a household with no other pets or similar restrictions. So when we take on the monumental task of training a dog ourselves, knowing that good quality gear is available for price that takes fixed incomes into account is a good thing.
I always appreciate the people who respect that the dog is working. She even has a special command - "say hi" - to tell her when it's ok for her to greet other people.
Thanks for clarifying a lot of elements about service dogs and distinguishing the facts about their work roles and those of a well trained pet.
Like most things that aren't frequently seen by the public, service dogs appear to be super smart pets you get to take wherever you like by casual observers, which is why they aren't understood. Which is also why your essay is so worthwhile. More people need to talk about service dogs so that people who are uninformed can have that understanding.
Oh, they are super smart, believe me! Tassie has a running list of about 30 different commands used on a regular basis. Those run the gamut from seizure alert (responding to a specific scent and notifying me of it EVERY time she smells it on my breath, without prompting) to laying quietly in my lap in a quickly-moving wheelchair to standing on her back legs and turning in a circle on demand (she used to do childrens' story times with me).
Comments 27
Reply
Reply
Reply
I had a prospective employer once ask me "well isn't there some machine that can do what your dog does?" The answer was no -- science has yet to develop a machine that could give me a reliable 20 minute notice before a seizure hits, or one that would notify my family when my blood pressure bottoms out without warning (these two things coinciding are why I coded in 2011).
But a lot of people just see the cute furry pooch and never think that there's a reason she's with me.
Reply
Reply
I always appreciate the people who respect that the dog is working. She even has a special command - "say hi" - to tell her when it's ok for her to greet other people.
Reply
Reply
Like most things that aren't frequently seen by the public, service dogs appear to be super smart pets you get to take wherever you like by casual observers, which is why they aren't understood. Which is also why your essay is so worthwhile. More people need to talk about service dogs so that people who are uninformed can have that understanding.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment